The Last Riddle
by Obsidian Sage
Summary: AU Harry's incredible survival of the Killing Curse made him famous. The war ended and a promising future lies ahead. However, the façade is doomed to fall sooner rather than later, because, what could the Dark Lord's son be but trouble? UNDER REVISION
1. Prologue

**REVISED**

**

* * *

A/N: **Ok everyone, here goes the new version of the Prologue. I didn't change much, but it's definitely better written than the last one. 15-year-old writer vs. 20-year-old writer equals a huuuuuge difference. I hope you think so, too :)

Also, as you can see there's a **REVISED** tag on the top of the page. There is more information on that in my profile, if you want to check it out.

* * *

**Prologue**

* * *

When James Potter heard Albus Dumbledore say that one of his twin boys was the child prophesied to destroy the Dark Lord Voldemort, he thought Karma was finally getting back at him for tormenting Severus Snape for so long; but his wife, Lily, went into a rare bout of hysterics.

"Prophesied? They were just born and you're saying that there's already a prophecy about them? And that one is going to defeat a Dark Wizard? What are you playing at, Albus? You can't just come in here and-" Lily ranted, before being interrupted by her husband.

"Dumbledore," said James slowly, rubbing his eyes as he did so, "are you absolutely sure it's our boys? No other twins fit the description in the prophecy?" James was always one to trust Albus, but he couldn't be sure this time what the headmaster had up his sleeve.

The Potters' sitting room became quiet. Dumbledore turned his cup of tea in his hands absentmindedly, looking down as to avoid the Potters' questioning glances for the time being. Lily and James were leaning forward in a loveseat –tea forgotten- waiting for the headmaster's answer. Dumbledore took a deep breath and lifted his eyes. "The only other magical twins that were born recently are the Patil girls, James," he explained heavily. "For obvious reasons, they don't fit the prophecy."

James exchanged a pained look with Lily, and gave her hand a squeeze. Lily shook her head slowly.

"It doesn't have to come true," she said quietly. "Divination isn't an exact subject, it could just be wrong…" she continued, though she sounded as if she were trying to convince herself of that fact. "Right?"

She looked up at Dumbledore for confirmation, and the old wizard offered her a sad smile. "No, Lily, it does not have to come true," he agreed. "But if Voldemort were to hear of it, he would not take any chances."

"So…" started James, frowning at the floor, "if this just stays between us, it can just… pass us by. No one else has to know," he mused. He looked up at the old wizard as well, confusion evident in his eyes. "But, Dumbledore, how are we supposed to know which one of the two boys is the one? And how does the other play into this?"

Dumbledore finally put his cup down, and intertwined his long fingers. Lily and James were staring at him expectantly. He let out a short sigh. "The prophecy mentions both Harry and Alan, and the role they are to play. It does not, however, specify who will do what. It is my assumption that time will tell us the answer."

Lily wasn't happy, if her set jaw was to be trusted. "What exactly did the prophecy say, Albus?" she asked testily.

Dumbledore's face became grim. He had known he would have to tell the prophecy to the Potters, but that did not make telling them the truth any easier. He knew the contents would burden the young family for the rest of their lives. Nonetheless, he spoke,

"_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches… born to those who have thrice defied him… born as the seventh month dies. He will have a brother to be his opposite… a twin that will lead an army against him… and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal… but he will have powers the Dark Lord has not. The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies…"_

The Potters could only stare at their old mentor. It was all so… _surreal_. Only a couple of hours ago they had been tucking in their completely ordinary babies, wondering what they would grow up to be, and now… now everything was going to change. Now everything seemed to be written.

Lily closed her eyes. "'_A twin that will lead an army against him'_? An opposite, Albus?" she repeated, trying to comprehend the words. "What is _that_ supposed to mean? That one will be good and destroy Voldemort, and the other will be bad and…?" she trailed off, not able to finish her question.

James scowled. "Don't say that, Lily," he scolded her. "Neither Harry nor Alan will join forces with that Dork Lord. We'll be good parents, and love them the same, and teach them the same values, and the only army they'll lead against each other is one made of marshmallows, all right?"

Lily managed a small giggle, and moved closer to her husband. James sent Dumbledore a light glare, challenging him to say otherwise.

Dumbledore offered the couple a sad smile. "Nothing is written yet," he assured them. "Prophecies are tricky little verses. I have to wonder if it is not us that make them come true," he mused lightly.

The Potters held each other for silent support, each lost in their own thoughts.

"What are we going to do, Dumbledore?" James asked after a few minutes of silence, sober again. Lily fixed her attention on the old headmaster and waited.

Dumbledore separated his fingers and then joined them at the tips again. "For the time being, only we know the contents of the prophecy. If for whatever reason Lord Voldemort were to catch wind of it, I am almost certain that he would try to get your children out of the way. To protect your family, I would put your house under the Fidelius Charm," he answered, having already considered the scenario. "May I suggest that you start thinking of a Secret Keeper?" he offered. "Mr. Black, perhaps?"

James and Lily exchanged another worried glance.

"Well we can certainly trust Sirius," said James. "We would have to tell him about the Prophecy, though…. But what about later? When the boys are older? What if… I don't know…" he rambled, looking around the sitting room for inspiration, "what if one of the boys is sorted into Slytherin?" he said finally.

"Oh, James," scoffed Lily. "The House they're sorted into has nothing to do with the prophecy coming true. If Alan were to be sorted into Gryffindor, and Harry into Slytherin, do you really think that would be a good reason to turn on each other? They're brothers, for Merlin's sake!"

"So are Sirius and Regulus!" protested James.

"Don't even go there! Weren't you just saying how we're going to raise them to love each other, and have the same family values, and Merlin knows what?" she insisted. "Why would belonging to rival Houses change their upbringing?"

James was about to retort, but he thought better of it and smiled sheepishly instead. "Sorry, love. I got carried away. You're absolutely right, that prophecy doesn't have to come true."

Lily breathed out in relief, and Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. The headmaster cleared his throat and got the Potters' attention back.

"I should leave shortly, but I will keep you informed of any new developments," he assured the Potters, rising from his seat. The couple broke apart and copied him. "Keep your eyes open, and owl me if you see anything suspicious, anything at all. We cannot be too careful in these dangerous times," he added heavily.

James and Lily nodded, looking down once more. Dumbledore watched them with sad eyes, and put a hand on the shoulder of each. "I cannot possibly imagine what the two of you must be going through right now," he told them quietly, drawing sullen glances from both. "But remember, there will always be someone at Hogwarts to help pure hearts in need."

* * *

Ten years later, Jack Riddle woke up with a start.


	2. Moving On

**REVISED**

* * *

_Chapter 1 - **Moving On**_

* * *

The pale morning light filtered into the cell through a small window near the ceiling. Dust swirled in it, suspended in midair. The walls were barren; nothing but dreary grey flagstones. The cell's only occupant still lay in bed, panting. To him, the screams from his nightmare were still echoing on the bare walls.

The boy's breathing slowly went back to normal, as he reminded himself that –as horrible and real as they felt- his nightmares were no more than that: nightmares. He turned on his side and wrapped the covers tightly around himself. It was summer outside, but the dungeons were always cold. He had no idea how long he remained in that position, going over the faces he had seen in his dream, but by the time his stomach started growling the sun was already high in the sky.

Reluctantly, he pushed himself off the bed. He noticed that once again the House Elves had left fresh clothes for him during the night, at the foot of the bed. He had no idea where they were getting those from, since he had come to Hogwarts with just the clothes on his back, but he appreciated it. He picked them up and headed for the door, since he did fancy a shower and his cell hadn't been provided with that particular accommodation.

He pulled the door open and exited. Technically, he wasn't a prisoner; he was free to roam the castle and its grounds, and he had even been given the password to the Slytherin common room, but contact with the outside world was forbidden. There were people that he wanted to send letters to, but he doubted the school's owls could deliver letters overseas anyway.

The trek to the common room was blissfully silent. It was mid August, so the castle was empty, except for the few teachers that had stayed behind to keep an eye on him; to make sure he didn't try anything. He had to wonder if it was even legal for them to keep him at the school against his will.

He rolled his eyes. Who was he kidding? He had nowhere to go, no one to go to. In a way, he was glad Rubeus Hagrid had found him the month before, and plucked him out of the streets. Hogwarts was hardly his favourite place to be, but it was certainly better than anywhere else he'd been for the past three years. Of course he would never admit that out loud. He was so caught up in his musings he almost missed the entrance to the common room. Again. He scowled and walked back a few paces. Why had his ancestor chosen to conceal the door in the wall? There wasn't even an engraving to mark the entrance, for Merlin's sake.

"Silver strings," he grumbled at the wall, and the door slid into the wall. He stepped inside and frowned at the common room's low ceiling. He had one month coming in here and he felt he would never get used to it. He went about his business quickly, longing for food. Hagrid had shown him the way to the kitchens, so he didn't have to share his meals with anyone. As a matter of fact, he avoided the other inhabitants of the castle as much as possible.

Professor Trelawney stayed in her tower almost all year, so she wasn't difficult to avoid at all. If he didn't spend too much time in the grounds he could avoid Hagrid, but the other two were trickier. One of them was Dumbledore. It didn't matter what he tried, the old man always found him. Now it was easy for him to understand why his father had been so unnerved by the Headmaster: there was no hiding from him. And as if that wasn't enough, Dumbledore had asked Minerva McGonagall for help, and now Gryffindor's head of house occasionally checked on him. He had to admit he found her the most bearable of the lot. Ironically, she was the only one of them not trying to make him like her.

He left the Slytherin common room feeling refreshed, and headed for the kitchens. To his chagrin, he couldn't walk past the Main Entrance without being spotted.

"Ah, Mr. Riddle!" called the Headmaster cheerfully. "I was just looking for you."

He groaned. He wondered if Dumbledore ever had something to do aside from looking for him. He looked up, at the top of the marble staircase where Dumbledore was standing, and scowled at him. "Yes?"

Dumbledore smiled down at him. "How are you this fine morning, Jack?"

Jack frowned at the use of his name. "I'm fine, thank you," he replied tightly. Odd. Dumbledore hardly ever called him by his given name.

"Good, good," mused the old wizard, stepping down. "You know, I had the weirdest dream last night. We were having a party in the Great Hall, all the student body and the faculty, and then a dragon came crashing in. At first everyone screamed and ran, but then the dragon started singing to the Weird Sisters' new song, and everyone joined in. Hard to believe, is it not? A singing dragon?"

By the end of the little tale, Dumbledore had reached the bottom of the stairs and was now standing a few paces away from Jack. Jack could only stare at him with his eyebrows raised.

Dumbledore dismissed it. "What about you? Any dreams you would like to share?"

Jack's face turned impassive, and for a moment he could hear his own screams from his nightmares. "No," he answered curtly. "I can never remember my dreams."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled at him. "Of course," he said gently. "It happens sometimes. Were you on your way to the kitchens?" he asked suddenly.

Jack appreciated the change in the subject. "Yes I was," he said briefly, not wanting to make the conversation any longer. "So if you excuse me-"

"I think I will not, Mr. Riddle," cut Dumbledore in the same gentle tone. Jack hadn't even had the time to turn away. He watched Dumbledore's serene face with some suspicion, and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Why?" he asked slowly.

Dumbledore's smile returned. "Because Professor McGonagall and I would like to have a word with you, and we thought it best if we chatted over a late breakfast," he explained benignly. "Join us in the Great Hall, please," he added, stretching an arm in its direction.

Jack cast a look of longing at the hallway leading to the kitchens, but obliged. He didn't really have a choice anyway.

Dumbledore opened the door for him and he trudged inside. McGonagall was already sitting at the Gryffindor table, stirring a cup of tea. She looked up briefly when she heard them come in, but remained otherwise stoic. It seemed she didn't appreciate being pulled into this either.

"Good morning, Minerva," greeted Dumbledore cheerfully.

McGonagall took a sip of her tea. "Morning, Albus. Riddle," she replied soberly.

Jack merely nodded and headed to a seat across from her, where food was already waiting. Dumbledore followed and chose to sit next to the Head of House. Jack felt quite uncomfortable eating with them, so he limited himself to nibbling on a piece of toast. He _would_ go down to the kitchens on the first chance he got, though.

Dumbledore seemed so absorbed in his own breakfast, that it was McGonagall who started the actual conversation they were all there for.

"Riddle, have you thought about your academic future?" she asked, going straight to the point.

Jack put down his toast and stared at her. "Beg your pardon?"

McGonagall gave him a look. "Your future, boy, your future," she repeated impatiently. "Classes will start in just a few weeks. Have you considered that?"

Jack shot a look at Dumbledore, but the man looked way too happy stabbing sausages with his fork. "I… I haven't no. I'm not eleven yet… thought I had more time," he stammered, turning back to McGonagall. Of all topics they could bring up, this was the last thing he expected.

McGonagall watched him curiously. "You're not eleven yet?" she asked, surprised.

Jack shrugged. "Not until January, I won't be."

"Albus," she said, turning on the Headmaster. "You said the boy was the right age."

Dumbledore finally left his breakfast alone and looked back at his colleague. "Well, he might be a little young, but just by a few months, Minerva," he excused himself, winking at Jack. Jack grimaced at the gesture.

"He would be the youngest if he started this year, Albus," argued McGonagall.

Dumbledore waved it off. "Age is not a boundary, Minerva. I'm sure Mr. Riddle is quite capable of keeping up with his peers."

"Do I have a say in this?" cut Jack, annoyed at having been left out.

McGonagall looked briefly at him, and then went back to Dumbledore. Jack let out a sigh of resignation and picked up his toast again, settling down to listen to the adults try to decide on a future for him.

"Albus, if Riddle starts school here this year, he will be sharing classrooms with Harry Potter. Do you think that's wise?"

"Harry doesn't know about Mr. Riddle's parentage, Minerva. His parents never told him what the Order knew about him."

"But Riddle knows about Potter."

"And Mr. Riddle is innocent," replied Dumbledore firmly, making McGonagall purse her lips. "His only crime was being born to the wrong father-"

"Hey!" protested Jack, drawing the attention of both adults. "Leave my father out of this!" Dumbledore and McGonagall stared oddly at him. "Please…" he added through his teeth, glaring slightly.

Silence returned to the Great Hall as the adults stared at the child, and the child glared back at the adults. Thirty seconds dragged by before Dumbledore spoke again.

"There might be… another option," he said slowly.

Jack and McGonagall stared at him expectantly. Dumbledore took his time answering. He arranged his cutlery, and stirred his tea before he uttered another word. Jack restrained himself from tapping the floor impatiently.

"I received a letter from a Professor Andor Grigio, who I believe you know," he said at last, giving Jack a significant look. "He will be here this afternoon. He wants to speak to you."

Jack's heart made a somersault. "Andor Grigio? He found me?"

Dumbledore limited himself to sipping his tea. McGonagall looked horribly confused.

"Who is Andor Grigio?" she asked Dumbledore.

Dumbledore set his tea down and smiled. "Oh, an old friend," he replied simply.

McGonagall wasn't impressed. "An old friend who happens to want to speak to Mr. Riddle today _and _is a professor?"

Dumbledore twinkled at her. "But we are speaking to Mr. Riddle about school today because of Professor Grigio. Professor Grigio's owl reached me last night," he explained. "I agreed to meet him after I have spoken to our candidate for Defence Against the Dark Arts. He seems promising."

"Wait… so we'll meet him _together_?" asked Jack, not really caring about Dumbledore's new teacher.

The Headmaster twinkled at him. "Mr. Riddle, I cannot allow you to be present at a teacher's interview, as engaging an experience as it may be."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Not the teacher… Grigio!"

"Careful with that tone, Riddle," McGonagall scolded him sharply.

Jack bit back a retort, and instead said, "At what time should I be in your office, _Professor_?"

Dumbledore chuckled at his defiance. "Three o'clock should be fine, Mr. Riddle."

Jack nodded and stood up from the table. "I will see you at three o'clock, then," he said, trying to conceal his excitement. He had almost managed it, but his voice did sound a bit happier than that morning. Andor Grigio was coming to get him! His father's mentor! He bid them both a good day –good manners embedded in him by his mother- and left the Great Hall in direction to the kitchens with a new spring in his step.

* * *

Food was the last thing on his mind, though.

He'd tickled the pear and stepped into the kitchens, to be welcomed by a hoard of House Elves offering him all sorts of delights. He was seated at a small table and given fruit, cakes, eggs and bacon, toast, cereal, oatmeal, juice, milk… he couldn't remember ever seeing so much food in front of him. The House Elves were delighted serving him everything he asked for, and even fought over who would pick up his dishes. Any other day he would have been amused by the display, but today he felt as if a rock had lodged itself in his stomach. He ate and watched the House Elves absentmindedly, focusing instead on the visitor he would receive later that day.

He couldn't believe it. Andor Grigio had never been a frequent visitor to the Riddle household, but when he did turn up, big things happened. Andor had once changed his father's life, years ago. Maybe now it was his turn… perhaps Hogwarts wasn't the only option for him. He frowned.

If truth was to be told, Jack didn't feel like sharing his school life with Harry Potter. The git had almost killed his father, and he doubted he could restrain himself from attacking the other boy if they were ever in the same room.

True, Jack had never been too close to his father, what with the man always away from home, taking care of business in Great Britain, but he still felt a strange sense of loyalty towards him. His mother used to say how that was his love for his father talking, and Jack had always accepted that without question, even if he never mentioned it to anyone.

Jack sighed and picked up his spoon. He smirked at his upside-down reflection, and tilted his head to the side. If not for his dark blue eyes, he would have been a miniature of his handsome father. His maternal grandfather was dead, but his mother had told him he had his eyes. When he was little, he had often wondered what it would have been like to have a proper family… having grandparents that spoiled him, like his friends' grandparents spoiled them; siblings to annoy, cousins to explore the grounds with… not just his mother, and a father that was never there. He sighed and put the spoon down. That was what he got for being a Dark Lord's son.

He left the kitchens with mixed feelings.

He walked through the enormous Grand Entrance and headed for the doors. He hadn't gone out in several days, and fancied some fresh air to clear his head. Once outside he made sure to check the perimeter for Hagrid; he didn't fancy running into the half-giant that would surely try to strike conversation with him. When he was satisfied that the coast was clear, he crossed the grounds leisurely and headed for the lake.

_Andor Grigio is coming to get me. Andor Grigio is coming to get me. Andor Grigio is coming to get me…_

The thought kept going around Jack's head like a recording. It was so sudden he couldn't believe it. He was exhilarated at the opportunity to leave, but it also made him anxious. What would become of him after he left? Where would he be going? Would he ever see his house again? Would Andor watch over him now? As a matter of fact, why had Andor taken so long to find him?

Jack frowned and stared down at the steely waters of the lake. Three years he had spent trying to return home… three years since his mother had been murdered in front of his eyes… three years scavenging to survive, wondering why his beloved father wasn't bothering to find him. The same went for his godfather and now Andor… where had they all been when he needed them the most?

"Lookin' a bit sullen, ain't ye, kid?"

Jack barely stifled a groan as he turned around. Hagrid was looking down at him with a tame smile on his face. Jack cursed his luck.

"Something I can help you with?" he asked the giant coolly.

Hagrid brushed off his tone. He was used to it by now. "Jus' passin by. Saw ye lookin so lonely here, tha' I had to come over. Everythin' all right?"

Jack couldn't help his lip curling up a bit in disgust. "Being alone is not the same as being lonely," he retorted, turning away from Hagrid and heading back to the castle. So much for fresh air… "I'm completely fine on my own," he added.

Hagrid hesitated. Jack smirked.

"Oh well… if ye need me, ye can find me in me cabin, right?" Hagrid called after him.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah…" he replied, raising a hand in farewell, but not bothering to turn around again. It really irked him when people tried too hard to be nice to him.

Waiting for three o'clock to roll around was torture. Jack knew he wasn't the most patient person on Earth, so the hours he had to wait were slowly working him into a mood. It didn't help him that he was more and more anxious by the moment, so he was all jittery by the time he had to walk to Dumbledore's office. He did the best he could to control himself –and wouldn't his father be proud.

He stood impatiently next to the gargoyle. Dumbledore must be finishing off his interview with his candidate for Defence Against the Dark Arts now. He wondered if Andor would arrive before Dumbledore and his future teacher came out.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait around for much longer. The gargoyle suddenly jumped to the side and a middle-aged man stepped out of the winding staircase, followed by the old Headmaster. The man had shoulder-length black hair, grey eyes, and seemed to have a cheeky smile permanently glued to his face. Jack had to jump out of the way to avoid being trampled.

"Woah careful, kid," the younger man told him, spotting him in time. "Not spying, were you?" he asked, winking at Jack.

Jack stared suspiciously back at him, and the man seemed thrown off by his slightly hostile behaviour. Dumbledore stepped out of the winding staircase next and saved the two from an awkward silence.

"Ah, good afternoon, Mr. Riddle," he greeted Jack for the second time that day. "Glad you could make it in time. Professor Grigio must be on his way."

"Riddle?" asked the young man, suddenly serious. He returned Jack's suspicious look, and Jack was happy to hold his gaze.

Dumbledore acted as if man and boy weren't sizing each other up. "Yes, Mr. Black. This here is Jack Riddle. Mr. Riddle, this is Professor Sirius Black. He just accepted the post for Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher," he explained genially.

Both Jack and Sirius looked briefly at Dumbledore, and then Jack mumbled a, "Congratulations, Professor Black," to which Sirius bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you," he replied, still appearing quite suspecting to Jack. His grey eyes were narrowed, and the cheeky smile hadn't returned.

Dumbledore smiled at both of them and stepped around them. "I loathe to cut this introduction short, but we are expecting a visitor, Sirius. Let me walk you to the doors," he offered, beckoning Sirius to walk ahead of him. Jack started to protest –he had been waiting for ages, for Merlin's sake- but Dumbledore excused himself. "I am sorry, Mr. Riddle. Just a few more minutes. Professor Grigio will be arriving through the fireplace in my office, so we will see him in a moment. I will be right back," he added, ignoring the boy's darkening face.

Sirius glanced at him one last time and then turned away, Dumbledore behind him. It wasn't until he was certain they were out of earshot that he spoke to him.

"Professor, do you think it's wise-"

"Don't worry, Sirius," cut Dumbledore gently. "I doubt Mr. Riddle will be staying with us much longer. I would much prefer to keep a closer eye on him, but you can see how controversial that would be," he ended with a sigh.

Sirius nodded and walked on. "Do you think he's dangerous?"

Dumbledore's face became grim. "I cannot tell. So far he has done nothing to prove he is. He resembles just any other young Slytherin that has walked these halls, except he is far more reserved and –did you notice?- polite. There has not been a day he has not wished me a good day, or bowed his head to Minerva, even though he clearly does not like us."

"Really?" asked Sirius, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting. A polite little murderer in the making he is."

"_Sirius_," Dumbledore chastised him. Sirius shrugged and kept walking. "I am dearly hoping that his mother's good genes override his father's bad ones. The Ravines were a good family –Ravenclaws all of them. I do not see how Samantha went over to Lord Voldemort, but-"

"Here's hoping that Sammy raised Mini-Voldy well," completed Sirius. Dumbledore's gaze was disapproving but there was that twinkle in it. Sirius' cheeky smile came back.

Dumbledore shook his head and smiled slightly. "Things will turn out well, Sirius, you will see. Jack Riddle might seem cold and uncaring on the outside, but I could bet my most prized earmuffs that there is more to that boy than meets the eye."

Sirius stopped right in front of the doors and looked at his old mentor. "How can you be so sure of that?"

The old Headmaster smiled benignly. "I taught both Tom Riddle and Sam Ravine, Sirius. Jack might look and act like Tom, but trust me when I tell you he has Sam's heart."

Sirius wasn't convinced, but he tried not to show it. He bade farewell to the Headmaster and stepped out into the sun, frowning. As far as he was concerned, that boy would bring nothing but trouble.

* * *

Jack absolutely hated waiting. It seemed Dumbledore enjoyed trying his patience, but to be honest, he didn't have much of it. He was leaning on the wall next to the gargoyle, his arms crossed over his chest. The effect could have been a lot more intimidating if he hadn't been just a ten year old.

There was, however, another reason why he didn't want to wait. His nerves were back, and the longer Dumbledore took, the longer he had to deal with them. He just wanted to get things over with and leave Hogwarts behind. But of course, that meant facing a man that he was –quite suddenly- disappointed in. He kept wondering why the adults in his life had left him to his fate. Andor, Diego… his father. Had his mother been the only one who truly ever cared?

"I am sorry for keeping you waiting, Mr. Riddle," said Dumbledore's old voice, pulling Jack away from his troubled thoughts.

Jack fixed his gaze on the Headmaster but chose not to respond. For all he knew, that would just spark another conversation with the old man.

"Pumpkin Pasties," Dumbledore told the gargoyle, which stepped aside to reveal a winding staircase. "Follow me, Mr. Riddle."

The aged professor stepped into the staircase and Jack stepped into it right behind him. Just as he was starting to get dizzy, they arrived at a door. Dumbledore strolled casually towards it and pushed it open. Jack took a deep breath, not knowing what to expect to see at the other side.

"After you," motioned Dumbledore, standing aside to let Jack pass. Jack obliged and drew in a short breath.

He had never been in Dumbledore's office, though his father had told him it was quite something to behold. He had just waved it off then, but now his father's words echoed in his mind.

The walls were lined with bookcases and the portraits of old men and women, fast asleep; just in front of him was a table completely covered with strange silver objects that hummed and played strange chimes. On the centre of the room stood the Headmaster's desk. Beside it was a golden perch where a golden phoenix sat, staring at him curiously. In front of the desk were two overstuffed armchairs, and on one sat what Jack could only describe as a very grey man.

He had a long grey beard and wore a grey robe and an old, grey wizard hat. The only bits of him that weren't grey were his tan skin and his piercing brown eyes, currently fixed on him.

The man stood. "It is good to see you at last, little Heir."

Jack drew in a second short breath. "Likewise, Maester Grigio."

"Take a seat," offered Dumbledore kindly, tapping the empty armchair in front of his desk as he passed it, once again seemingly oblivious to the interaction between boy and man.

Jack stepped around Dumbledore's trinket filled table and sat down at the appointed seat. Andor copied him, his gaze still transfixed on him.

"You are taller," Andor said at last, eyeing him from head to toe.

"You're older," retorted Jack dryly, noticing the lightening hair and the wrinkles that hadn't been there before.

A sad smile made the corners of the old man's mouth twitch. Andor leaned forward and squeezed Jack's shoulder. "I'm sorry I took so long, Jack. I will explain as soon as we are out of here," he whispered heavily, fixing his gaze on Jack's blue eyes.

Jack could only nod, not really knowing how to respond to that. Dumbledore finally cleared his throat to remind them they weren't alone, and Andor returned to his original position.

"Now, Andor, concerning your owl…" Dumbledore said gently, reminding them all why they were in his office in the first place.

"Yes, of course," said Andor, tearing his eyes from Jack and setting them on the Headmaster. "As I said in my letter, I am prepared to take custody of Mr. Riddle until his appointed guardian is located. I'm sure you have no objections to that?"

Dumbledore leaned forward and joined his fingers at the tips. Jack was staring at Andor as if he'd sprouted a new head. Andor? Take custody? No way!

"I have… no objections, no," said Dumbledore thoughtfully. "However, may I enquire after Mr. Riddle's appointed guardian?"

Andor straightened up in his chair, quietly resenting Dumbledore's question. "Seeing as Jack's parents have both passed, his legal guardian is now his godfather: Mr. Diego Hawkins. And to answer your unasked question: No, he is not a Death Eater. Tom would have never made such a basic mistake," he added, noticing Dumbledore's suspicious stare.

Dumbledore, now appearing more at ease, sat back on his high-backed chair. "Very well. There is nothing I can do about who gets custody over Mr. Riddle, but I would like to discuss the matter of his schooling," the Headmaster said easily, again pretending Jack was not in the room with them.

Jack's mind was reeling. "Diego's alive?" he cut through the conversation, not caring about his manners at the moment. "Where is he? Is he alright?"

Andor chuckled, which just made Jack's blood boil. Did the old man think he was joking?

Andor noticed the darkening look on Jack's face and his smile fell. "Your godfather is fine. As I said before, I will explain once we are out of here. The only reason I did not bring him with me is because he remains very difficult to find. Now do be patient and listen. I am sure you will want to hear this."

Jack glared at Andor but forced himself to remain calm. He was having mixed feelings about this meeting… he _was_ glad Andor was in Hogwarts, and that he was taking custody of him, but he couldn't help feeling betrayed. If they had all been alive and well, _why _hadn't they found him sooner, while his father was still alive?

"Please excuse us, Albus," Andor told Dumbledore. "Now, about Jack's schooling… you are aware that I will be taking him away?"

Jack looked up at Andor and then shifted his gaze to Dumbledore. Andor looked stern; Dumbledore appeared grim.

"Is there anything I can do to change your mind?" Dumbledore asked him.

Andor laughed humourlessly. "Come now, Albus. Harry Potter is starting school this year. You do not want a Potter and a Riddle in the same room. How long do you think it will be before Jack's origins are leaked out to the world? Lord Voldemort's son at Hogwarts? You will be hanged!"

Dumbledore joined his fingers at the tips once more. "And I suppose you have a spot for him at Ingoldstadt?"

Andor offered him a single nod. "He has been on our list as long as Potter has been on yours," he replied simply. "I'm sorry, Albus. This one is ours."

Dumbledore contemplated both man and boy sitting in front of him. Jack stared back for a moment before Andor's words sunk in. "Ingoldstadt, Andor?" he asked the grey wizard at last.

Andor's eyebrows rose. "Ingoldstadt. Best school in Lemuria. Only a handful of talented witches and wizards get to attend. The school is very interested in having you. I trust you have heard of it?"

Jack frowned. Ingoldstadt? "No, I don't think I have," he said at last. To be honest, he had heard of very few schools… obviously Hogwarts, the school his parents had attended. And then there was Durmstrang, which his father quite liked. And _then_ there was his country's own school of witchcraft and wizardry, Mirford. But no Ingoldstadt.

Andor looked as confused as Jack felt. "How strange that your father never mentioned it to you. In any case, if you agree that is where you will be going."

Jack looked at Andor and then at Dumbledore. He hadn't been expecting to be given a choice.

"Ingoldstadt is a good choice," commented Dumbledore lightly, seemingly reading Jack's mind. "Hogwarts will be sorry to lose you, but I do believe everyone will be a lot more comfortable if you choose to study there."

Jack blinked at the old headmaster and then turned back to Andor. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Dumbledore was right. "Ingoldstadt it is," he said at last.

Andor beamed. "Excellent choice, my boy. Albus, if it is not an inconvenience, I would like to take Jack with me right away."

Dumbledore pinned Jack under a scrutinizing gaze and frowned. "Of course, I understand," he replied. He stood up and motioned to the other two to do the same. "He is in your hands now, Andor. Make sure he follows the _right_ path," he added with a pointed look.

Jack looked apprehensively at Dumbledore. The right path?

"Do not worry, he will do fine," said Andor cheerfully. "Jack, go pick up your things while I have a last few words with Professor Dumbledore. I will meet you in the Entrance Hall in a few minutes, yes?"

Jack stared at both men and then nodded. "Yes, Andor," he replied, leaving his armchair and walking to the door. His heart was racing. This was it! He was leaving Dumbledore and his crowd behind! He was finally going home!

"Goodbye, Jack," called Dumbledore from his desk.

Jack stopped at the door and turned his head to look at the Headmaster. He had a small, sad smile on his face. Jack offered him a nod, and left Dumbledore behind without another word.


	3. Downtown Ebur

**Disclaimer: **I don't own any of the characters made up by Rowling, Paolini, Nimmo… We only own Jack Riddle, Andor, Kristen and her siblings, Jaim, Gauri, Aldrick, Ralph, Reuben, and Leander. So far, anyway… On with the story! P.S. I also own Alan Potter

---

**Ebur**

"We will start sinking in a moment," announced Jaim.

Lemuria is a triangle of land located in the north of the Pacific Ocean. Its three points are marked by Hawaii, Easter island and the Fiji islands. It would be recorded in Muggle world maps if Muggles didn't believe it had sunk thousands of years ago. Well, it had, though not for the reasons they believed.

Jack glanced at the steely water. Sinking?

"How deep are we going, Jaim?" asked Andor.

"Er," said Jaim scrunching up his face. "About… one and a half or two kilometres."

Jack glanced at Jaim and then back at the water. Had he really been living two kilometres underwater his whole life?

"We will stop in Ebur," said Andor.

"Alright." Jaim moved the tiller and the point of the boat started going underwater.

"How long will it be until we get to Ebur?" Jack asked.

"Between ten and fifteen minutes," answered Andor. "Now. Pay attention. Once we arrive, we are going to go to the capital to start on the list of things you have to buy." Jack opened his mouth to say something but Andor interrupted him. "Do not worry about the money, your father has you well taken care of." Jack closed his mouth and smiled. Typical of his father: always thinking ahead.

The boat was now completely underwater. It was surrounded by some kind of air bubble that allowed them to breathe and see their surroundings. Jack noticed that the boat's speed had decreased. Ahead, all Jack could see was darkness, and behind, the surface was fading. iFast./i Jack also noticed that the air bubble surrounding them emitted some kind of glow.

"What kind of animals live down here?" asked Jack.

"It depends on the time of the year," Jaim replied. "If we're in August and we're lucky, then we might see a sea snake. Not the common, Muggle ones, but the big, 90 feet ones." (90 ft 27.4 metres)

"Ninety feet?" said Jack, aghast. "But that's huge!"

"Aye," said Jaim. "This is the Pacific, kid, what did you expect?"

Jack huffed. 'Certainly not something that big,' he thought.

"I suppose there are also whales and sharks here, Jaim?" said Andor.

"The biggest. Just like that one over there," said Jaim pointing.

Jack gasped. A white shark, about four or five metres in length, had started circling the boat, looking hungrily at them with its shiny black eyes. The boat was too fast for it, though, and soon they left it behind.

As they descended, more fish and other weird looking animals swam around them, but nothing as shocking as the great white. Animals didn't seem to like the boat's eerie glow.

"We'll be entering Lemuria's atmosphere in a minute, so we're gonna have a bit of turbulence," warned Jaim.

Jack looked around him. Should he grab the side of the boat again? Because as far as he could see there was nothing else to hold on to. Andor seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Jack was about to comment when the boat shook and he fell to the floor.

"Remember to hold on to something. You might fall if you don't," said Jaim without looking at him.

"Thanks for the advise," said Jack sarcastically from under his seat.

Andor chuckled. "Easy, Jack. Now, why don't you…" But what Andor was going to say, Jack never knew, because the boat chose that moment to starting shaking like mad.

"Ouch!" cried Jack after bumping his head on the side of the boat it was as if the vessel were alive and it were trying to shake them off it.

Andor cursed. He had been thrown to the other side of the boat, and Jaim seemed oblivious to his passengers' distress. He also seemed immune to all the shaking.

For a while, everything Jack could see, apart from the floor, was bubbles. Everywhere where the water used to be less than a minute before, anyway. Finally, the bubbles cleared up and the murderous shaking stopped, setting the stage for a marvelous view.

Above, was the clear night sky. Before them, lay the shallows, and beyond, the beach and a port that stretched for 2 miles. Everywhere, Jack saw wooden ships with white sails, some of them getting ready to make way and others just standing by. The magical counterpart of a sea gull flew on top of their heads.

"Welcome to Port Aquila," said Jaim.

"Blasted boats," Andor muttered.

Jack sniggered. "I thought you were enjoying the trip."

Andor huffed. "I was just keeping up appearances. I am going to sue the company one of these days, you mark my words."

Jack suppressed a smirk. "Of course you will," he muttered to himself. Andor ignored him.

They had just left the pier and Jack swore his robes had somehow absorbed the smell of dead fish. Andor said Jack had always smelt like dead fish, which didn't help matters much.

"Hold on to my arm, Jack," Andor instructed. Jack looked lost.

"Huh?"

Andor sighed in exasperation. "Hold on to my arm, we are going to Apparate to in Downtown."

"Oh, right," said Jack. "Sorry. I've forgotten a lot about magic these last three years," he explained sheepishly.

"Understandable."

Jack grabbed Andor's forearm, and in a flash, they were gone. As expected, Jack soon felt like he was being pressed very hard from all directions; like being pushed through a very slim tunnel, then it stopped, and he was met with the familiar sight of Ebur's capital.

"So we'll find everything I need for school here?" Jack asked.

"Of course," replied Andor. "Downtown Ebur."

"Cool," Jack said.

Downtown Ebur was an equivalent to Diagon Alley, just bigger, where the Dark Arts were not banned but respected and treated with care. Every building reflected what it sold. The cantina was made out of bottles, the book shop had three huge books leaning on its left wall, and the shop that sold flying articles was floating three feet above the ground. The shoemaker's shop was even shaped like a shoe.

"This place looks more like a parade than Ebur's centre," Jack commented. "I don't remember it being so… um…"

"Personalized?" suggested Andor.

"Flashy," said Jack. "Even the apothecary has weird coloured fumes coming from its chimney… wait a second… are apothecaries supposed to have chimneys?"

"Well, the apothecary's owner seems to think so," replied Andor.

Jack rolled his eyes. "So… what's the first thing on the list?"

"Since your clothes seem to be in a good state for the time being," Andor started, "I think it would be a good idea to get your books first."

"Right. Let us begin our journey to the jumbo books of doom, then," sighed Jack dramatically while pointing at the three huge books.

The book-shop was as interesting as the one on Diagon Alley. There were rows and rows of book shelves completely filled with the strangest looking tomes on Earth. Books as tiny as Jack's fingernail and books as big as the boat they had arrived on. Books made out of stone, books that bit you if you did not show them respect, books that spit flames… and the plain text books Jack and Andor were looking for.

"You will be taking Potions," said Andor. "Languages, Transfiguration, Charms and Hexes, Defence Against the Dark Arts, the Dark Arts themselves, Mathematics…"

"Maths?" asked Jack, clearly confused. "Isn't that a Muggle Subject?"

"Yes," replied Andor. "But Ingoldstadt students take it as an introduction to Advanced Arithmancy and Strategy. The same thing happens with Chemistry, which you will be taking in third grade, as an introductory course to Alchemy."

"So this is for real?" said Jack.

"This what, Jack?"

"Going to Ingoldstadt."

Andor laughed. "Of course. You will attend all eight years."

"They're eight years?"

"Yes, they are. Unlike Hogwarts, where there are only seven."

"Oh joy," replied Jack sarcastically. "More school to look forward to... How come Ingoldstadt has eight?"

"Well, you'll see," said Andor, while they walked down the aisles, searching for books. "The first seven years are a preparation for the eighth, in which you," Andor picked a book and studied it, "and your generation will travel across the world and apply everything you learnt the seven years prior." He put the book back in its shelf.

"We'll travel the whole world?" asked Jack, not daring to believe his ears.

"It depends on which languages your generation learns."

"Who's in my generation?"

"Don't you ask too much questions?"

Jack smiled sheepishly.

---

"Tired?" asked Jack smirking.

Andor glared at him. "I, unlike you, awoke in Lemuria this morning. That was almost twenty hours ago. For you it is just midday."

It was three in the morning, Ebur's time, and they were seating together at a table in a pub called 'Last Choice'. Jack was sipping from a butter beer and Andor from a glass of Ogden's. They had gotten everything from the list except for his school robes and his stone wand.

"You should get a room," said Andor. "I have a meeting to attend to." He stood up, placed a few coins on the table, and handed an envelope to Jack. "Here is the money you will need to pay for the room and the items you are missing. Farewell!" One crack later, he was gone.

Jack sighed and stood up as well. He walked up to the bartender, whose name he later learned was Leander, and asked for a room. Leander led him to room 11 and bid him good night.

A few hours later, Jack awoke to birds singing and the glare of the sun on his eyes. '_Should have closed the curtains_,' thought Jack to himself as he stood up and stretched. "Now what?" he asked no one in particular.

'_You should try on the clothes you got yesterday_,' came the answer. The problem was… there didn't seem to be anyone speaking…

Jack whirled around. "Who said that?" he asked cautiously.

'_No one in particular_,' the disembodied female voice answered simply.

Jack frowned and kept looking for the source of the voice. "What kind of answer is that?" he asked.

'_None in particular_.'

Jack turned to his left. He had definitely seen something on the windowsill. "Where are you?"

'_No where in particular_.'

"Will you stop it with the particulars, please?" said Jack getting annoyed.

'_Only because you said please_,' answered the voice.

"Thank you. Now, I would be very grateful if you could tell me who… or what… you are," said Jack, still examining the windowsill.

'_I am a werecat. And, were I you, I would stop looking at the windowsill and look behind me._'

Jack turned so fast he slipped and almost fell to the floor. There, sitting on the bed, was a great white cat. '_Hello,_' she said simply.

"How did you get in?" Jack asked.

'_You left the window open, silly_,' the werecat answered. '_And I happen to be a curious creature, Jack Akor Riddle._'

"How do you know my name?" asked a surprised Jack.

'_Do you know any Occlumency?_'

Jack stared at the random question. "I'm sorry?"

'_Do you know any Occlumency?_' the werecat repeated.

"Very little," replied Jack.

'_Hence, your answer_.'

Jack blinked. "What's your name?"

'_I have many names_,' she answered cryptically.

"Well, 'I have many names'," said Jack sarcastically. "I'll follow your advice and try some clothes on."

'_Gauri._'

"Sorry?"

'_You may call me Gauri_,' she said.

"Oh… ok," Jack said awkwardly. "I'll be back in a sec…" Once he said that, he took a set of clothes and went into the bathroom. '_A werecat…_' thought Jack. It seemed his luck was finally returning.

A couple of minutes later, he went out and found Gauri licking her paw. '_What will you do today?_' she asked him.

"Get whatever it is I'm missing," replied Jack.

'_Alone? At your age?_' asked Gauri.

"Sure, why not?" said Jack. He took the envelope containing the money, checked the money was actually inside, and went for the door.

'_Wait_.'

Jack turned. "Yes?"

'_I'm coming with you_,' said Gauri jumping from the bed. '_It has been a long time since I last had an interesting conversation with a human_.'

'_What first?_' asked Gauri once they were out on the street.

"I'm really curious about the stone wand," said Jack. "So I'd like to see to that."

'_You may want to keep your voice down_,' advised Gauri

"Why's that?"

'_Because it is quite strange for bystanders to see a boy talking to a cat._'

"Can't they hear you're talking to me?" Jack whispered.

'_I find it amazing that you have not yet realized that you hear me in your mind_,' said the werecat.

Jack blinked. '_Really?_' he thought.

'_Yes_,' answered Gauri, clearly amused.

'_You did it on purpose, didn't you?_' thought Jack narrowing his eyes at the werecat.

'_Did what on purpose?_' said Gauri innocently as they walked towards the wand shop.

'_Not telling me that you were talking in my mind_.'

'_Well, technically speaking, I could not have done it on purpose since I can not speak. Therefore, I can not tell you anything_.'

Jack huffed. '_Fine_,' he thought. Gauri looked smug.

'_This is it_,' said Gauri.

Jack looked at the building in front of them. Even if it was the most normal looking building on the street it still had a distinct air about it. A wooden sign over the door read: 'Aldrick's finest customized wands since 200 A.D.'. The dark, dingy shop looked empty.

'_What are you waiting for?_' asked Gauri.

"Nothing," said Jack. He stepped forward and pushed the door open. "Hello?" he called. "Anybody home?" Gauri entered behind him and hid in the shadows.

"Why, yes of course," said a male voice from the back of the shop. "I'll be right with you."

Soon, a thin old man appeared before him. "How may I help you, Mr…. Riddle, perhaps?"

Jack's eyes widened slightly. "How do you…?"

The man, Aldrick, smiled slightly. "How wouldn't I? You look just like your father. I met him once, when he was a teenager. I didn't have the pleasure of meeting your mother, though. She was Ollivander's customer. Samantha, or your father used to call her Sam, right?"

"Um… yes, well," said Jack awkwardly. Those grey eyes were unsettling. "I was wondering if I could get a stone wand."

"Ingoldstadt, eh?" said Aldrick with a smile. "Which is you wand arm?"

"I'm ambidextrous," replied Jack. "Father insisted."

"No surprises there," said Aldrick. "Give me just one moment."

The man walked to a shelf and pulled out a box. He beckoned Jack and started pulling out small tablets of different colours and placing them on the surface of the counter. "Look carefully at the colours and tell me which feels best," he said.

Jack watched the thirteen tablets with interest. Yellow… too shiny. Red… nice but too vibrant. Green… didn't feel right. Black… appealing but there was still something missing. Grey… too damp. Pink… not in ten million years! Then, his eyes fell upon one of the last tablets. Yes… there was something about this one that drew him to it. "That one," said Jack pointing the one that had caused the effect.

"Ah… Indigo," said Aldrick. "Interesting. Especially in someone so young." Aldrick started removing the tablets.

"Why is it so interesting?" asked Jack good naturedly.

The old man's grey eyes bored into Jack's sapphire ones. "Indigo symbolizes self-mastery and wisdom. While blue is the colour of communication with others, indigo turns the blue inward, to increase personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings. While blue can be fast, Indigo is almost instantaneous. Inventors use indigo skills for inspirations that seem to 'come out of the blue' as Muggles say. HA!"

Jack stared at the odd man as he turned around and walked to the back of the shop. Were all wand makers like this? He'd heard that Ollivander had a personality like Aldrick's. Perhaps they were related? Aldrick's return stopped his musings.

"Now," said Aldrick placing three different dark blue gems on the counter. "Which of these 'calls' you?"

Jack glanced at the stones. "I like the one in the middle."

"The Sapphire. Fitting," said Aldrick looking at Jack's eyes. "It helps to understand the intentions of others and to find the correct solution." He then put the three gems in a box and brought out another one from under the counter. He pulled out small bits of different rocks. "Feel free to do anything you like to these pieces and then tell me which you feel more comfortable with."

Jack passed his right hand over the hard materials, took a few, weighted them, tossed them from his right hand to his left… until he narrowed his choices to three: a pure black obsidian, a green and white combination of marble and a greyish black piece of marble with golden veins.

Aldrick was getting excited now. "Wonderful choices! Very powerful rocks, all three of those. Wonderful!" he said while he clapped.

Jack raised an eyebrow, but other than that, he decided to ignore the wand maker's behaviour. As much as he liked the green/white piece, he had to rule it out. He didn't know why, but he felt he had to. Now, he didn't know what to do with the two choices he had left.

"Those two will do," announced Aldrick taking both pieces from Jack's hands. "Come back in an hour and your wand will be ready. Good bye!" Then he practically skipped to the back of the shop and out of sight.

'_Maniac_,' said Gauri from the shadows. '_Let's go get your robes_.'

A while later they were entering a building completely made out of cloth.

'_Very original, huh?_' thought Jack. Gauri snickered.

Inside, there were other five kids being fitted. "I'll be right with you, dear," said a young plump witch dressed in pale yellow. She took a measuring tape from her robes and led him to a footstool next to a pale, dark-haired boy about his age. "Which school are you attending?" asked the witch. Gauri stuck to the shadows again.

"Ingoldstadt Academy," answered Jack.

The witch gasped and stood straighter. "I'll go get the material."

Jack nodded.

"Hello," said the boy.

"Hey," said Jack.

"My name's Ralph. Ralph Bloor. I'm going to Ingoldstadt, too."

"I'm Jack Riddle."

"Riddle?" said Ralph. "Would your father happen to be Tom Riddle?"

"What's it to you?" answered Jack slowly. It did him no good going around spreading the news that he was the Dark Lord's son.

"You're kidding me!" said Ralph. "Haven't you ever heard the name Bloor?"

Jack frowned. "I don't… wait!" he said suddenly. "I have! Father did mention that name from time to time… some, Reuben Bloor…"

"That's my father," said Ralph proudly. "He's over there with my big brother, Manfred."

Jack followed Ralph's finger and his eyes fell on a black haired man in his thirties or forties. He was standing beside a black haired boy who was being fitted into midnight blue robes.

"You want to stay away from him," advised Ralph. "My father, I mean. He's always carried a grudge against Tom Riddle, though he's never said why."

"I see," Jack muttered. Apart from Tom being the Dark Lord?

"That'll be it, darling," said the witch who had been fitting him for a while already. She handed him a bag with three sets of midnight blue robes and smiled. "That'll be ten Galleons and five Sickles, please."

Jack handed over the money and hopped from the footstool.

"I'll see you at school," said Ralph waving.

Jack waved back and stepped out of the shop, Gauri in his wake.

For the next thirty minutes, they did nothing but look around the shops, waiting for the time to pick up Jack's stone wand. Finally, the hour came and they headed back to the wand shop. A bell announced their arrival.

"Mr. Riddle, is that you?" came Aldrick's voice from the back.

"Yes, sir," replied Jack.

Aldrick stuck his head out from behind a shelf. "Come over here."

Jack hesitated.

'_Go_,' said Gauri. '_He can't do anything to you_.'

Jack nodded and walked towards the wand maker, who pulled out a box from his robes in a flourish and opened it, taking out a long and thin black rod.

"The core is made of Sapphire, the body of the purest black Obsidian, and the handle of black and gold Marble from Italy. 12,20 inches. One of the most powerful wands I have ever made. And it's all yours, my Lord."

Jack closed his hand around the handle to take the wand, but the wand maker seemed reluctant of letting the wand go, as if he were afraid of what the wand was going out into the world to do. After a few seconds, however, he let go. "Give it a wave," Aldrick said cautiously.

Jack raised the wand over his head and a small tornado of fire erupted from the tip and circled the wand a couple of times before disappearing.

"That'll be twelve Galleons, if you please," said Aldrick.

Jack placed the wand back in its box and pulled out the envelope with the money. He counted twelve gold coins and handed them over.

"Thank you," said Aldrick taking the money. Then, he Disapparated.

Jack blinked in surprise.

'_That has to be the most dramatic exit I have seen him perform_,' said Gauri conversationally.


	4. On the Other Hand

**Annie: **Hey again:P Yeah I altered the conversation… just a couple of lines… sorry about the long wait, it's just I have to monitor the story's progress in different sites and it takes a lot f my time… along with school, personal problems with my friends that keep showing up, family, among others. But here's the update now.

**Disclaimer: I **don't own the Harry Potter characters, nor the Eragon characters… neither do I own the paraphrased bits from PS

** On the Other Hand **

"Harry!" cried Kristy.

Harry smiled and ran to hug his friend. "Hullo, Kristy! It's so great to see you!"

"You see me everyday, silly," laughed Kristy returning the hug.

"Did you know we're going to Diagon Alley?" asked Harry.

"Yeah," replied Kristy. "Is Ron coming too?"

"Yup," said Harry. "We're waiting for him."

"What about Ginny?"

"Oh, yeah… she's coming along for the ride."

"Finally! A girl to hang out with!"

"Are boys that bad?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"Not actually."

"Harry! Kristy!" called Lily. "The Weasleys are here!"

"I race you to the kitchen!" said Harry.

"Ok…" said Kristy. "On your mark… get set… GO!"

Harry and Kristy cantered down the stairs, laughing like maniacs and trying to push each other out of the way. Harry managed to get down first, but Kristy passed him and got to the spacious kitchen first.

"Ha!" said Kristy victoriously. "I beat you!"

"Harry, dear!" cried Molly Weasley. "Kristen, darling!"

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley!" greeted both at the same time once they saw the Weasley matriarch.

"Harry!" said Ron.

"Kristy!" said Ginny.

"Hey, guys!" greeted Kristy.

"Hey, Kristy, is it true you went to Hogwarts?" asked Ron, walking towards his friends. Ginny was close behind him.

"Yes! It's so beautiful! There's grass everywhere, and a forest, and a lake... And the castle! It's huge!"

"Wow," said Ginny.

"I can't believe you saw it before I did..." said Harry grudgingly.

Kristy stuck out her tongue at him.

"Come on children!" called James. "We have to Floo to Diagon Alley before a lot of people get there. We don't want to find the shops packed."

"We're coming, dad!" called Harry.

Harry, Ron, Kristy and Ginny walked in a line towards the fireplace in the Potters' living room, Harry in the lead. James, Lily, and Molly were standing before the fireplace and Lily held the pot with the Floo powder.

"Where's my dad?" asked Kristy.

"He's already waiting for us at the Leaky Cauldron," answered James. "No doubt he wants to see who falls the worst out of the fireplace," he added frowning.

Kristy giggled. "That's my dad, alright."

"You go first, Ginny," said Lily offering the pot to her.

"Okay," said Ginny taking a pinch of Floo Powder. She threw it into the fire and called "Diagon Alley!", then, she disappeared in the emerald flames.

"Kristy," said Lily. "You go."

"I hate travelling by Floo," Kristy grumbled, making Harry and Ron chuckle.

"I second you there," said Harry.

Kristy shook her head and took a pinch of Floo Powder. "Diagon Alley!"

After went Ron, and then came Harry's turn. "Diagon Alley!" The already familiar feeling of being sucked through a tunnel invaded him. He was turning very, very fast. Harry squeezed his eyes shut and wished for it to stop. Suddenly, he toppled out of the fireplace at the Leaky Cauldron, crashed against a wall, wobbled on his feet for two seconds and then fell on his face.

Ginny was trying to hold back her laughter. The others, however, were not even bothering.

"Not funny, guys," Harry grumbled.

"What a landing, Harry!" said Sirius between chuckles. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were a professional."

Harry had hardly stood up when James also came out tumbling and knocked Harry off his feet again. James' first reaction was to laugh. Not even Ginny could hold it any longer and burst out laughing too.

"Let me give you a hand up, kiddo," said James chuckling and offering his hand to his son. Harry took it and James hauled him up. "There you go," said James with a smile.

"Thanks," said Harry, then he frowned. "Stop laughing already, _Snuffles_."

"Harry," said Sirius in mock seriousness. "Stop calling me that. I already told you I prefer to be called _Sn**i**ffles_, not _Sn**u**ffles_."

The group of children laughed and James grinned.

Within the next minute, Lily and Molly arrived at the Leaky Cauldron, each covered in ashes. Mrs. Weasley pulled out a brush from her robes and started to brush off whatever ashes the others had before brushing off the ashes on her robes.

"There," she said. "We can go now."

Ron and Ginny exchanged glances and shook their heads.

"Come, come," said Mrs. Weasley. "Arthur, the twins and Percy are waiting for us at Flourish and Blotts."

The troupe turned around, greeted Tom the barman, and walked out of the Leaky Cauldron through the back door. James pulled out his wand and tapped the bricks on the wall, over the rubbish bin. He stepped back and the wall started opening.

"Well," said Lily. "Let's go get those books." That said, she made her way towards the shop where four redheads were waiting for them. They passed the Cauldron shop, the Apothecary, the Owl Emporium, the Quidditch shop… and they finally made it to Flourish and Blotts. Arthur Weasley walked up to them.

"¡Thank Merlin you're here!" he cried. "A lot of people have arrived already and it seems the shop is running out of books. Come in, quick."

"¿Which books do we have to buy, Harry?" asked Lily while they entered the bookshop behind Mr. Weasley.

"Er…" said Harry pulling out a piece of parchment from his pocket. He unfolded it and read, "_The Standard Book of Spells, A History of Magic, Magical Theory, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection_…"

"Yes," commented Sirius. "A good book for the Defence Against the Dark Arts class."

"Ah," said Mr. Weasley. "So Dumbledore managed to find a professor in time."

Sirius smiled mysteriously.

"¿Who do you think will sacrifice themselves this year?" asked Ron.

Sirius stopped smiling.

"It's not a sacrifice, Ron," said Mrs. Weasley. "It must be a coincidence that there's always a different professor every year."

"Aunt Lily?" called Kristy from the counter. "It seems the book packages are already done."

James stopped examining a leather-bound book and looked for Kristen with his eyes. And effectively, on top of the counter there were seven packages of books. "How efficient," commented James.

Sirius walked to the counter and asked for a first year package for his godson. There was an uncomfortable moment when the Weasleys asked for second-hand packages. James and Sirius had offered to pay for the books before, but the Weasleys had always declined the offer.

"Where are Percy and the twins?" Mrs. Weasley asked her husband.

"Here we are, mother," answered Percy's voice.

Ron and Ginny rolled their eyes. "Since he was made Prefect he's been more pompous than ever," Ron told Harry.

"Yes, mother," said George imitating his older brother's voice. "Here we are. We have successfully emerged from the depths of the shop of knowledge."

Percy glared at his brother.

"Right," said Mr. Weasley. "Let's get out of here. The shop's up to the brim."

The group of witches and wizards walked out of Flourish and Blotts, which ended up being an odyssey, since people were piling up on the door, trying to get their last minute shopping done. When they thought they were safe, they discovered that little Ginny had been trapped inside and Mr. Weasley had to go rescue her.

"Are we complete now?" asked Fred.

Mrs. Weasley counted them again and nodded. "Yes. What's next?"

"I'm out of parchment," answered Ron.

"And my quill has exhaled its last breath," said George dramatically, wiping away imaginary tears. Mrs. Weasley rolled her eyes.

"I have an idea," intervened Lily. "Let's break up in two groups and meet again somewhere."

Mr. Weasley seemed to think about it. "Very well. Weasleys, follow me!"

Fred and George whooped and jumped on Percy. Percy let out a sigh of resignation and let the twins lead him away.

"See you later," said Ron to Harry and Kristy.

"Bye," said Ginny.

"We'll meet at Florean Fortescue in an hour!" called James through a speaker made with his hands.

"Alright!" answered Mr. Weasley. "Good bye!"

After that, the redheaded troupe vanished into the crowd.

"Now what?" asked Lily.

"Cauldrons," answered Sirius. "The shop's closer."

James and Sirius wanted to buy a gold cauldron fro Harry, but Lily wouldn't hear anything about it (Why would Harry want a gold cauldron when one made of pewter works just fine?), they got a scale for weighing potion ingredients, Kristy's choice, and a bronze telescope.

"Next comes the Apothecary," said Harry reading the list of school supplies.

"You go to the Apothecary," said Lily. James sent her a perplexed look. "I'll be at the Owl Emporium," she explained. "Look for me once you're done."

So they entered the Apothecary, which smelled like bad eggs and rotted cabbages. Barrels of slimy stuff stood on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders lined the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hung from the ceiling. James went up to the counter to ask for a basic set of Potions ingredients while Sirius examined a long yellow fang and Harry and Kristy looked at unicorn horns.

James paid for the set and was in the process of storing it away when Harry walked up to him and asked, "Can we go see the rest of the shop?"

"Hmm…" said James. "I don't know… Padfoot, what do you think?"

"Can we, dad?" asked Kristy.

"Sure," said Sirius. "Just don't get eaten. That slimy stuff on the barrels looks vicious."

"Ok!" said both children and ran to the back of the shop.

James chuckled. "It's a shame they're not going to Hogwarts together," he said.

"Shame indeed, Prongs me friend," replied Sirius.

"More like, a blessing," sneered a voice.

James and Sirius turned and found themselves face to face with their childhood nemesis: Severus Snape aka Snivellus.

"What are you doing here, Snivellus?" asked Sirius viciously.

"I thought that must be obvious," replied Snape with a sneer. "But since it is you who asked, I suppose my thinking does not apply in this particular case."

"What do you want, Snivellus?" asked James tensely.

"Nothing from you, certainly, Potter," replied Snape. "I heard Black had seen the Dark Heir this morning."

"Yeah, so?" asked Sirius.

"Where is he?" Snape deadpanned.

"How should I know?" answered Sirius. "He left with a man who seemed to be Dumbledore's double to God knows where. Why? Did your Master ask you to keep an eye on his spawn?" Sirius taunted.

Snape snarled. "You know perfectly well who my loyalties lie with, Black."

James snorted. "Sure, Snivelly… c'mon Paddy, let's get the kids and get out of here."

Less than a minute later, James, Sirius, Harry and Kristy were out in the street.

"What now, dad?" asked Harry.

"Let's go get your mum and then to Ollivander's to get your wand," replied James.

"YAY! Wands!" cried Kristy while performing a little jig.

Sirius frowned. "Are you on a sugar high, Kristy?"

Kristy looked innocently at her father. "No… what makes you think so?" Then she turned around before her father could answer and followed James and Harry who were already going to the Owl Emporium.

"What a comfy place," said Sirius once they were inside, looking pointedly at an owl that was glaring at them.

"You feel right at home, don't you, Padfoot?" said James conversationally.

Sirius sent him a hurt look.

"There's mum!" said Harry pointing at the back of the shop, where a redhead was cooing at a snowy white owl.

Sirius was about to yell at her that they were there, but Kristy hushed him. "You'll scare the owls," she said. So instead, they walked to the back of the shop and James tapped Lily on the shoulder.

"Oh! You're here!" she said. "What took you so long?"

"We had an encounter with an old school mate," answered James.

Lily raised her eyebrows at her husband but made no comments before turning on her son. "How do you like this owl, Harry?"

Harry squinted behind his glasses at the cage his mother was showing him. The snowy owl seemed to squint back at him. "Is it a he or a she?" the boy asked. The owl looked hurt.

"It's a female," replied Lily. "Isn't she gorgeous?"

Kristy moved to stand beside Harry. "Wow. I love her!"

"Yeah," replied Harry. "She's beautiful."

The owl puffed up with pride.

"Do you want her?" asked Lily.

"Yeah!" said Harry. "Let's take her!"

"It seems you got your school owl, then," said James smiling.

"How will you call her?" asked Kristy peeking into the cage.

"I don't know…" answered Harry while James took the cage and carried it to the counter.

"Well…" said Kristy. "I'll help you pick a name tonight if you promise to help me pick a name for my pet next year. Deal?"

Harry smiled and took her outstretched hand. "Deal."

"C'mon, you two!" called Sirius from the doorway. "There's still shopping to be done!"

Harry and Kristy hurried to join their parents who were already waiting for them outside. James was carrying the cage.

"What's missing?" asked Lily.

"The wand!" cried Harry and Kristy at the same time.

"And robes," reminded James. "There's parchment, quills and ink at home."

"Let's get the robes, then," said Lily. "Madam Malkin's is just across the street."

"No!" moaned both children.

"Let's get the wand," begged Kristy.

"My, my," said Sirius. "Aren't you a little eager?"

"Look who's talking," said James.

Harry gave his mother his famous puppy eyes.

Lily snorted. "That doesn't work on me, young man. Let's get your robes." She paused and slapped her forehead. "I just realized we forgot to buy owl treats. Would you go get them, Sirius?"

Sirius saluted her and marched back into the Owl Emporium.

"I'll stay out here with the owl," said James. "You take the kids."

Lily sighed and led the two children into the shop, where they were greeted by Madam Malkin, who was a squat witch dressed in mauve.

"How can I help you?" she asked smiling.

"We'd like the Hogwarts uniform," said Lily.

"Of course, dear," said Madam Malking. "For both children?"

Lily hesitated. "No, just for him," replied Lily. She sighed again. Under other circumstances she would be asking for two sets.

Madam Malkin smiled. "Got the lot here – another young man being fitted up just now, in fact. Follow me, dear."

Lily and Kristy sat down to wait.

In the back of the shop, a boy with a pale, pointed face was standing on a footstool while a second with pinned up his long black robes. Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, slipped a long robe over his head, and began to pin it to the right length. It wasn't until then that Harry noticed who the boy was.

"Potter," the blond boy sneered.

"Malfoy," answered Harry coldly.

"I haven't seen you lately," continued Malfoy. "Are you here on your own?"

"What's it to you?" asked Harry.

"Curiosity," drawled Malfoy. "Have you got a broom? Father is going to buy one for me once we're done shopping. Probably the new Nimbus."

"Malfoy," said Harry as Madam Malkin finished with his robes. "I really couldn't care less." He hoped off the stool and walked to the front of the shop, where Lily was already paying for her son's robes.

"The Malfoys are here," Harry said once the five were reunited. "I just met Draco in Madam Malkin's."

James and Sirius exchanged mischievous smiles.

"Let's put a dungbomb in Lucy's shopping bag," suggested Sirius. "Now that he's not looking."

"No," deadpanned Lily. "We are not going to go looking for trouble with the Malfoys. We are going to get Harry's wand, meet the Weasleys at Fortescue's and then we are going to Floo home from the Leaky Cauldron."

James and Sirius pouted.

"I said 'no'," insisted Lily. "It still surprises me that Lucius managed to convince the Ministry that he was under the Imperius curse. Looking for a fight with him is dangerous."

"Killjoy," muttered James so only Harry could hear him.

"Let's go get the wand, then," said Kristy with less enthusiasm than before. Apparently she'd been looking forward to pranking the Malfoys.

A tinkling bell rang somewhere in the depths of the shop as they stepped inside. It was a small place; empty except for a spindly chair Lily sat on to wait. Harry and Kristy, who had been so eager to enter the shop, were now completely quiet and were staring at the thousands of narrow boxes piled neatly right up to the ceiling.

"Good afternoon," said a soft voice. The five jumped.

An old man was standing before them, his wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello," said Harry awkwardly.

"Ah yes," said the man. "Yes, yes. I thought I'd be seeing you soon. Harry Potter." It wasn't a question. "You have your mother's eyes." He then turned to Lily. "Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work."

"Yes," said Lily with a smile. "It's a very nice wand."

Mr. Ollivander then turned on James. "James Potter! Mahogany wand. Eleven inches. Pliable. A little more power and excellent for transfiguration. You did favour it."

James smiled sheepishly.

"And Sirius Black," Mr. Ollivander continued. "Ash, eleven and three quarter inches, flexible and good for defence."

"That's right," said Sirius.

Mr. Ollivander set his eyes on Harry again. "I am terribly sorry about your brother. When I heard of your birth, I was so looking forward to the day when the two of you would come to buy your wands. Shame, really… Well, now – Mr. Potter. Let me see." He pulled a long tape measure with silver markings out of his pocket. "Which is your wand arm?"

"Er – well, I'm right-handed," said Harry.

"Hold out your arm. That's it." He measured Harry from every angle imaginable, speaking all the while. "Every wand has a core of a powerful substance. Unicorn hairs, phoenix feathers or dragon heartstrings. That's enough," he told the tape that had started measuring Harry's nose on its own. Kristy sniggered.

"Right then, Mr. Potter. Try this one. Beech-wood and dragon heartstring."

Harry took the wand and gave it a wave but Mr. Ollivander took it from him. "No, no, no. Try this one." And they repeated the process for what seemed to be forever, until, "I wonder, now – yes, why not – unusual combination – holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple."

Harry took the wand. He waved it and a stream of red and gold sparks shot from the tip like fireworks. The whole room whooped and clapped, probably because they were tired of waiting for a wand to choose Harry, and Mr. Ollivander cried, "Oh, bravo! Yes, indeed, oh, very good. Well, well, well… how curious… how very curious…"

He put Harry's wand back into its box and wrapped it up, still muttering, "Curious… curious…"

"Sorry," said Harry, "but _what's_ curious?"

Mr. Ollivander swept the room with his eyes before fixing them on Harry.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold, Mr. Potter. Every single wand. It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather – just one other. It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother – why, its brother belonged to the DarkLord."

Harry gulped and the adults exchanged glances.

"Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Very powerful. I suppose it now belongs to the son of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember…. I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter… After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things – terrible, yes, but great."

Minerva McGonagall, Transfiguration professor and deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, was worried. Something had been nagging at her since the Dark Lord's downfall and she had finally managed to pin-point what it was. She was currently heading for Dumbledore's office when a voice stopped her.

"Minerva? What are you doing here?"

Minerva looked up and found herself face to face with Remus Lupin. "Hello, Remus," she greeted. "How come you are not in Diagon Alley? Didn't James and Sirius take their children there today to buy school supplies for Harry?"

Remus smiled. "Yes," he said. "But I'm not feeling very well and I didn't fancy squeezing through large crowds today."

Minerva nodded, noticing that Remus was indeed a bit pale. "Have you taken anything yet?"

Remus gave a nod. "Just a little while ago. So, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to Albus about something that has been bothering me for a while now," she explained. Remus looked interested. "It's about Durza."

'Oh,' mouthed Remus. "I've heard about him. The one who defeated Voldemort?"

Minerva flinched. "Yes, him."

"Well," continued Remus. "Albus' office is just at the end of the corridor. I'm curious myself and I would like some answers as well."

Both adults resumed their walking and reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the Headmaster's office. "Sweetarts," said Minerva and the gargoyle let them through. Remus knocked on the door.

"Come in," said Dumbledore cheerfully from the other side of the door. No one would ever guess the Dark Heir had escaped his grasp that very morning.

Remus opened the door for Minerva, who thanked him, and stepped into the office. "Good afternoon, Albus."

"Minerva! Remus!" said Dumbledore. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"We have to discuss something with you," replied Remus. "It's about Durza."

Dumbledore's expression turned serious. "Of course. Please, take a seat."

Both Remus and Minerva sat and went through the ritual of declining a lemon drop. Minerva went straight to the point.

"Albus," she whispered. "Who is Durza? I saw the Riddle boy's expression when I mentioned him. He was scared, Albus; he knew right away that his father had not survived. Someone who causes that effect on the Dark Heir is bound to be powerful."

"Not to mention, he killed Voldemort single-handedly," added Remus. "Is he a threat?"

Dumbledore sighed. "I do not know," he admitted. "I had never heard of him before, although, if he killed Voldemort (flinch) and Jack Riddle fears him, then he might be on our side… but then again, he might also be seeking to become the next Dark Lord, hence, he killed the current one."

Minerva chewed her lip. "Do you think he might go after Jack?"

Dumbledore frowned. "Why do you care so much for Lord Voldemort's son, Minerva?"

Minerva flinched and then flushed slightly. "I… I knew his mother," she explained. "Sam was one of my best friends from Ravenclaw… I suppose I feel somewhat… responsible for her only child's well being."

Dumbledore closed his eyes. "I see," he said. "If Durza truly wants to be the Dark Lord… then Riddle is a potential threat to him, and both are threats to us… I have to think about this."

Minerva and Remus exchanged a glance and, taking Dumbledore's last comment as a dismissal, exited the office in silence. Dumbledore leaned back on his chair.

_The one with the power to vanquish the new evil…_

The headmaster frowned. That sentence had made so little sense before he knew that the Dark Heir existed. Jack Riddle seemed to have been born around the same time as Harry Potter, and both boys had been born after the prophecy was made. However, now that Durza had shown up a new question had arisen. Who was the new evil? Jack… or Durza?

Description taken from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_

Description paraphrased from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_


	5. The Enemy's Face

**Annie: **Men, my friend. Men's what got my friends so busy. Last year one of my friends was going out with this guy, but the guy cheated on her and now this year he wants to go out with another one of my friends, and there was some kind of fight between them because friend A didn't trust the guy, but friend B wants to go out with him and blah… it wasn't a nice argument.

**Borbí: **It took me a while to figure out you were writing in Hungarian hahaha but I eventually managed to translate the review… I don't speak Hungarian you see? hahaha But I'm glad you think the idea is original P thanks for the review!

**Disclaimer:** Harry Potter still belongs to JK Rowling, Eragon still belongs to Christopher Paolini, The Seventh Tower still belongs to Garth Nix, Darren Shan still belongs to… Darren Shan and Dawn of Power still belongs to us. Cheers!

**XxXxX The Face of the Enemy XxXxX**

After quickly paying seven gold Galleons for Harry's wand, James, Lily, Sirius, and their children, Harry and Kristy, had practically run away from the shop. Mr. Ollivander had successfully scared them with the revelation of Voldemort's wand. They agreed on not telling anyone about it. They had met the Weasleys at Florean Fortescue's and chatted amiably while they ate ice creams. Now, they were entering the Leaky Cauldron and were about to Floo to their respective homes when James spotted the unmistakeable shape of Hagrid at the bar.

"Hagrid!" he called. "Hey, Hagrid!"

The keeper of the keys turned around. He spotted James and smiled. "'lo, James! An'… bless me soul! Harry! Harry Potter!"

Harry winced. He'd been pretty relieved that no one in Diagon Alley had noticed him. He wasn't very fond of staring crowds. The people at the Leaky Cauldron had started to stir.

"Harry Potter?"

"Potter? In here?"

"Where? Where is he?"

"Over there!"

Harry sighed. "Some luck I have," he whispered to Kristy, who smiled sympathetically, before starting to greet people.

"An honour, Mr. Potter, an honour."

"So proud, oh so proud of you, Mr. Potter."

"You're the best, Harry!"

"Harry Potter shook my hand! I'm never washing my hand again!"

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I'm meeting you at last."

Harry smiled, shook hands, thanked people and bowed his head until James decided that his son had had enough for one day. "Alright, everyone, as much as we like seeing you all, Harry must get home to pack his school trunk!"

Harry smiled gratefully at his father as the last people came to shake his hand and said their good byes. Hagrid had turned a nice shade of pink and was apologising profusely to Harry. "Sorry 'bout that, Harry. Ye know I didn' mean tha'."

"It's all right, Hagrid," said Harry with a small smile. "Don't worry."

"So… what are you doing here, Hagrid?" asked James.

Hagrid puffed up with pride. "I'm doing Dumbledore a favour. Hogwart's business. Top secret."

"James!" called Lily who hadn't moved from the fireplace. "We have to go!"

"Coming, hun!" called James. He turned to Hagrid. "Sorry Hagrid. The matron calls."

Hagrid chuckled. "Not ta worry, James. Not ta worry. I'll see ya at Hogwarts, Harry 'n Ron. Bye, bye, Kristy. Bye, bye, Ginny."

The four children smiled. "Bye, Hagrid!" they said at the same time and followed their parents who were saying their good byes as well and Flooed to their homes, where Harry fell on his face, yet again.

"Not funny, Kristy," he grumbled at the young redhead who couldn't stop laughing.

Lily shook her head at the children's antics and turned to Sirius. "Are Alkdilien and the children coming for dinner?" she asked.

"I suppose…" said Sirius, though he didn't look too sure of himself. Lily raised an eyebrow. "I'll go check right now," he said quickly going into the fireplace.

"You do that," said James.

"I'll go set the table," said Lily.

"And I'll give this to you," said James handing the white owl to Harry. "I believe she needs a name."

Harry's answer was interrupted by the arrival of Kristy's seven year old brother, Orion, who stumbled out of the fireplace and knocked Harry off his feet for the second time that day, much to the white owl's displeasure, since Harry was still holding her cage. "Hello, Harry!" said the boy cheerfully. "Long time no see, eh? What did you do today? Did you go Diagon Alley? Did you buy that owl? Does she have a name yet? When are you going to Hogwarts? My sister went to Hogwarts this morning, have you seen it, too? I'm hungry, are we having dinner?"

Harry blinked a couple of times at the young boy sitting on his stomach. "Um…" he said uncertainly. If Kristy was the spitting image of her mother, then Orion was the spitting image of his father: the wavy black hair, the mischievous glint in his grey eyes, the hyperactive personality, and the bottomless stomach.

Kristy scowled at her little brother. "Orion! Get off him!"

Orion bounced in response, knocking the air out of Harry. He would have bounced again if Orion's mother hadn't arrived in that precise moment.

"Orion Sirius Black! Get off Harry this very instant!"

The boy paled considerably and hastily stood up. "Sorry," he muttered with his head bowed.

Harry looked up at his godmother. She had creamy skin and auburn hair. Her eyes were green dotted with gold and her ears were slightly pointy. Her mother had been an elf and her father a wizard. Sirius had met her in Lemuria during a mission for the Order and had fallen for her immediately, but she hadn't wanted anything to do with a wizard and had apparently pushed him into the sea from the deck of a ship, though that might have been another mad story of Sirius'. Now they had three kids – go figure!

"Are you alright, Harry?" she asked him with concern.

"Yeah," he said while rubbing his stomach. "Just a little out of breath."

Alkdilien offered the black haired boy a hand and pulled him up. "There you go," she said kindly.

"Thanks," said Harry with a smile.

Alkdilien smiled at him and then turned on her eldest daughter and hugged her. "Why, hello, stranger! I haven't seen you all day!"

Kristy looked uncomfortable. "Mum! Stop it," she whispered.

"Fine," said Alkdilien releasing Kristy. "Harry, where's your mum?"

"She said she was going to set the table," he answered. "So she's either in the kitchen or in the dining room."

"Thanks," she said before eying her son. "Would you look after Orion? You know how troublesome he can be."

Orion gaped at his mother in disbelief. "I am not troublesome!" he cried. "I am simply misunderstood!"

"Sure, midget," said Kristy rolling her eyes and hitting her brother's head lightly. Orion ruffled his hair and mock glared at Kristy. Alkdilien sighed and walked out of the room. Then she slapped her forehead and turned around.

"Kristy, your dad is on his way," she said. "Make sure Paige is with him. If he's not carrying her, throw him back into the fireplace and tell him he's an irresponsible father before sending him back home, okay?"

Kristy blinked. "Sure, mum."

"Thanks, darling." Then she turned around and kept walking.

"Can we throw dad back into the fireplace even if he's got Paige with him?" Orion asked Kristy.

"No."

Harry shook his head at their antics and picked up his owl's cage.

"Harry," said Kristy. "Perhaps it would be a good idea if you didn't stand in front of the fireplace." She smiled. "My dad could knock you off your feet when he arrives."

Harry sent her a mock glare but moved out of the Floo's path. Orion just looked confused but didn't ask questions. One minute later Sirius arrived backwards, holding a small bundle in his arms. Harry, Kristy and Orion rushed forwards to stop him from falling while he was holding the little girl and were successfully squashed by his weight.

"Whoa!" he yelped while he recovered his balance. "Sorry, kids. Paige's getting a little heavy."

"Ha-ee!" cried the small girl when she caught sight of the emerald eyed boy. She was stretching her short arms towards him, silently begging to be held by him.

Harry laughed and took the toddler from Sirius. "Your dad's right. You're getting heavy," he told her making the toddler giggle. She had shoulder-length, straight black hair and greenish-golden eyes. She was a perfect combination of her parents.

They heard a crash somewhere on the floor above them followed by a yelp.

"Padfoot!?" cried James' desperate voice. "Are you back yet?"

Sirius smiled mischievously. "Literally!" he called back.

"How can you not be back literally?" replied James from somewhere above them. "Never mind. Just come upstairs!"

"I'm coming Prongsie!" called Sirius, making Paige look weirdly at her dad. "I'll see you at dinner guys," he told the children before walking out of the living room.

"Well," said Kristy picking up the owl's cage. "Let's go to your room, Harry. Let's see if anything can inspire us to name your owl."

Orion brightened up. "Can I help with names?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "And Paige can help too… if she wants to, of course."

Paige giggled excitedly. "Yay! I can help! I can help!"

Harry carried the girl to the stairs and started to climb them, conscious that Kristy and Orion were following him. "You don't have to carry her all the way up," he heard Kristy say. "She knows how to climb stairs."

"It's okay," he called back, though he had to shift Paige's weight to his left arm. "It's no problem for me." Harry thought he saw Kristy roll her eyes and mutter something about boys, but he let it pass. When they reached the end of the stairs, Harry lowered Paige to the ground and she grabbed his hand and started to pull him in the general direction of his room. They walked through a corridor painted in bright Gryffindor colours and entered the room at the end. The lights turned on immediately and Paige let go of Harry's hand to jump on his Queen sized bed. Harry smiled at the girl's enthusiasm and he let himself fall on a comfy chair. He saw Orion and Kristy enter the room and Orion rushed to the bed to join his little sister. "It's okay," Harry told Kristy, who had a disapproving expression etched on her face. "That's what beds are for!"

Kristy shook her head in amusement and set the owl's cage on Harry's desk. The owl looked a bit ruffled so Harry leaned forward to open the cage and let the owl fly around the room. The amber eyed owl flew to the top of Harry's wardrobe and perched herself there.

"So…" said Harry. "What are we going to call her?"

"Pwinses!" cried Paige from the bed.

Harry sent Paige a disbelieving glance. "Sorry, Paige. But there's no way on Earth that I'm going to call my owl Princess…"

"Leilani!" called Orion.

"Is that a name?" asked Harry.

Orion stopped jumping for a while and looked thoughtful. "What about… Lielina?"

"No," said Kristy patiently. "We're looking for names, Orion, not babbles."

"That was not a…!"

"Can we go back to naming the owl, please?" asked Harry.

"Tara?" suggested Kristy.

"Nope."

"Gregoria!" called Orion resuming his jumping.

Harry saw the snowy owl flinch. "I'll take that as a no."

"Snowflake!" cried Paige.

"Too girly."

"Elfrida!"

"From where do you get those names, Orion?" asked Kristy.

"Waimbow!"

Harry shook his head. "The owl's white, Paige."

"Melody?" asked Kristy.

Harry thought about it. "Nah… it's too human. Imagine what would happen if I found a girl called Melody at Hogwarts. I can see myself greeting her right now: 'Oh, hi, Melody. Did you know my owl is called the same as you?'"

Kristy huffed. "Fine. Then you suggest a name."

"Um…"

"Raphaela!" called Orion.

Harry just ignored him.

"Gilberta?" tried Orion.

"Flower?" said Paige.

Harry exchanged a glance with the redheaded girl sitting on his desk. "What's up with your siblings?"

Kristy shrugged and sighed. "I don't know. There're times I think I was adopted."

"Dorothea!"

Harry shook his head. "I have an idea," he said. Kristy looked curiously at him.

"Frideswide!"

"Let's grab one of my schoolbooks and see what we find," continued Harry, completely ignoring the younger boy.

"Sounds like a plan," replied Kristy. "Which book?"

'Which book?' thought Harry. Which book could have most names? "History," he said. He went to the still unopened shopping bags and pulled out the history book. He went back to the desk and sat on the chair. Kristy looked at the book over his shoulder and he started passing pages. "Ebele… no… Darinka… nope…"

They spent a few minutes like that, just passing pages, and looking for names. Orion kept shouting names like "Ragnborg!" and Paige suggested names like "Fairydust!" The snowy owl looked ready to collapse at the absurdity of some of the names. Finally, Harry came across a nice sounding name. He looked up at the tired owl. "What do you think of _Hedwig_?" he asked her. "Do you like that one?" The owl flapped her wings and hooted. "Hedwig it is, then."

XxXxXxXxX

He lifted his head and surveyed the peaceful scene before him. Lights flickered everywhere and he could make out some couples strolling in the moonlight. He sniffed the air. He looked human except for his crimson hair and maroon eyes.

He blinked in surprise. The message had been correct: they were here. He sniffed the air again and this time he picked up another scent. He gasped… was it possible that _he _was inside one of the buildings? Or was it a trap? He weighted the odds, then said icily, "Spread out, hide behind trees and bushes, on rooftops and in alleys. Bring them to me… or die."

XxXxXxXxX

Jack awoke to the sound of screaming. His eyes went automatically to the window, where Gauri was sitting. "What's going on?" he asked getting out of bed. He noticed it was still dark outside.

'_I do not know,_' answered Gauri with her gaze fixed on the outside, trying to see what the ruckus was about. '_Get dressed and grab your wand, though. We might have to run_.'

Jack didn't need being told twice. He changed into day clothes in seconds, slipped on a pair of black sneakers, put on the first robe he found, and grabbed his wand from under the pillow. The he shrunk everything he had bought and stuffed a new backpack with them.

'_Come here,_' said Gauri.

Jack approached the werecat. '_So…_' he said. '_Do you know what's going on now?_'

Gauri turned her green eyes on him. '_It looks like an attack,_' she said. '_Though I can not tell who is leading it… there have been a lot of rebels lately._'

Jack took a deep breath, trying to remember what his father had told him to do in case he was ever caught in the middle of a raid.

'_Buildings tend to burn, brat. Get away from them,_' Jack heard his father's voice say, echoing up from the depths of his memory.

He started to go for the door.

'_All entrances and exists are likely to be covered_.'

"The window," said Jack turning around.

'_The window what?_' asked Gauri.

'_We have to get out of the building,_' replied Jack. '_Otherwise we're trapped. The window is the best option._' He moved so he was standing beside Gauri and looked outside. Conveniently, the building's ledge was not too far away from his window. Also, the narrow alley below was empty. Jack noticed the screaming came from the front of the inn, on the main street. There was only one teeny tiny problem.

How on Earth was he going to get down to the alley from the fourth floor without killing himself?

'_Gauri?_' he said. '_How exactly did you get up here_?'

'_I climbed the walls_,' she answered without meeting his gaze. She was still intent on figuring out who was causing all the trouble. '_Just follow me_.' She jumped from the windowsill to the narrow ledge 3 feet below them and landed perfectly. '_Move, Akor!_'

Jack took his bag, shouldered it and sat on the windowsill with his legs dangling outside the building. He lowered himself slowly and the soles of his shoes finally made contact with the ledge. He stood straighter and pasted his back to the wall just as the screaming started on the corridor outside his room. Gauri was already far away.

'_Wait!_' called Jack with his mind. '_I'm not a cat!_'

'_Neither am I_,' Gauri called back.

'_You know what I meant!_' said Jack a teensy bit annoyed.

Gauri stopped and looked back. The boy was advancing sideways. Slowly.

'_Oh,_' Jack heard Gauri say. '_Oh,_' he repeated sarcastically in his mind while rolling his eyes. He shook his head and looked down. His stomach made a somersault. He had been so busy thinking of a way to get out of the building without getting caught that he hadn't realized that one misplaced step would send him plummeting to his death. After what seemed to be an eternity he caught up with Gauri. '_Gauri_,' he said. '_I don't think I can climb down like you._'

Gauri looked down and then up at the pale, black haired boy. '_You are right,_' she said. '_There is a pipe further along. Just keep walking and you will find it. Once you are on the ground, do not move. I will find you and then we will decide what to do next._'

'_Alright_,' replied Jack. He watched in amazement how Gauri aimed for an open window on the third floor and jumped, once again making a perfect landing. He sighed and kept on walking with his back pasted to the wall, all the time searching for the pipe that could save his life. He heard glass shatter below him and he risked a peek. What he saw made his heart skip a beat and he slightly lost his balance.

A man had jumped, fell or had been pushed, through a window on the second floor, covered in flames. He plummeted to the alley below and landed with a sickening crunch. He stayed there. Unmoving.

Jack knew he was dead.

'_Stay calm_,' said his father's sarcastic voice. '_Your life will probably depend on it._'

Jack took a calming breath and didn't move until his heart regained its normal rhythm. He didn't know why he had been so shocked. As the Dark Lord's son, he had seen death countless times. Even after they had gotten separated three years and two months before the night his mother's murder, death was a common occurrence in Jack's life. He frowned. What could have possibly shocked him? Then it struck him. The man had been covered in flames. The second floor was on fire!

"Damn!" he cried, as he started moving again. '_I have to find that pipe!_'

Jack heard a crash, gritted his teeth and started moving as fast as he dared, for a couple of windows on the third floor had shattered because of the heat and smoke was starting to come out of them. That was a few feet below him and the curtains of black smoke were starting to cloud his vision. He was starting to lose hope when his left hand brushed something hard. He coughed and waved the smoke away to see what the object was. He frowned. The wall was empty. He felt around for whatever he had bumped into and his hand found a thick cylinder… 'The pipe!' he thought. 'It must have a Disillusionment charm on it…' He grabbed the pipe with both hands and in a swift movement faced the wall.

"Here it goes."

He held on to the pipe tightly and felt around with the point of his shoe for a foothold. He found one and started the descent. He closed his eyes and stopped breathing so the already thick sheet of smoke wouldn't harm him. After a few steps, his body had started trembling from the strain, and when his right foot finally touched ground, he let himself fall to the floor where the smoke was thinner and gasped and coughed, all the time searching for a white shape.

'_Gauri,_' he thought. '_Where are you?_'

He heard no response. But he did hear another window above him shatter and seconds later he saw a huge shard of glass impale itself on the ground just a couple of yards from him. He gulped. If Gauri didn't show up soon…

'_Akor?_'

Jack stared about frantically at the sound of his second name. '_Gauri? Is that you?_'

'_Of course it's me_,' came the annoyed reply. '_Who else would be talking to your mind?_'

Jack bit back a sarcastic remark and instead reached with his mind. '_Where are you? And don't start with particulars!_'

'_Fine. I'm at the front of the alley between a couple of rubbish bins_.'

The black smoke was rising and Jack was now able to see farther down the alley, so he spotted the bins right away. '_Okay. I'm coming_.' He walked bent to escape the smoke while more windows shattered. He could hear people screaming everywhere and he felt the hair on the back of his head rise. Flames licked at window frames not only in the building Jack had been sleeping in but in the neighbouring building as well. There was no way in and definitely no way out. It had been smart to move so fast.

He was a few steps from the bins when a window from the building on his right exploded, showering him with small pieces of glass that made little cuts on his exposed skin, meaning face, neck and hands. Some of the bigger pieces made rips on his robe and even managed to cut his back and shoulders, making him hiss in pain.

'_Akor, hurry!_'

Jack gritted his teeth and reached the bins. '_Where were you?_' he asked her.

'_This is not the time for silly questions_,' she chided. '_We can not stay here or the Urgals might find us_.'

'_The Ur-_what' asked Jack.

'_Come_,' she said. '_Let us use the smoke as a cover to cross the street_.'

Gauri made a dash for the road and Jack had a hard time keeping up with her. He could feel, more than see, the people rushing both ways, tripping each other and screaming. Someone collided with him and he fell on the pavement causing him to lose sight of the white werecat. He cursed. '_This shouldn't be happening! People should calm down or the casualties will rise!_' No one else seemed to share his thoughts, though. He stood up to avoid being squashed by the crowd, but the smoke was too dense for him to make out anything but dark shapes. He was lost.

The boy felt panic start to rise in his chest. What was going on? What was the purpose of the attack? And who the Hell was attacking!? "Calm down," he whispered to himself. "Calm down." It was easier said than done. He thought he was going to lose it, when he caught sight of a tall man standing completely still. He started walking in the direction of the man but his steps were hesitant. Something was wrong. He came to a complete stop and he examined the man through the thinning smoke. Tall, fit, long hair, and… was that a sword on his hand? Jack blinked. His instinct told him there was something definitely wrong with this person, and his instinct was never wrong. It had already saved his life several times, why should he doubt it?

Jack frowned. Why was the street so quiet? He strained his ears and looked around. He could hear screaming in the distance… a few curses… but the street he was standing on was completely deserted!

He gasped and gave a step backwards. This proved to be a mistake, for the man Jack had started to follow turned around and fixed his eyes on him.

His breath caught in his throat and as he started his retreat, he tripped and fell backwards; but he never took his eyes off the Shade.

Crimson hair and hard maroon eyes. Jack's glacier blue eyes were locked with the eyes of his father's murderer.

_Durza._

The Shade seemed to recognize him and his face twisted into a very disturbing smile. "Well, well, well… what have we got here?"

Jack resisted the urge to gulp.

Durza leaned on his sword. "Three years have I been searching for you, Jack Riddle, and each time you have evaded me. Ironic, really. I come here, looking for your distant relatives, and I find _you_. The boy I have stopped searching for." Durza's smile turned feral and his eyes acquired a deadly glint. "If only I hadn't agreed to that Unbreakable Vow…"

Jack remained silent, too shocked to speak, or utter any other kind of sound for that matter. His body was paralysed. His mind was paralysed. Durza kept speaking.

"Now… Why don't you give me that nice stone on your neck?" he said stretching a hand towards the black haired boy.

That snapped Jack out of his trance. He glanced at his chest, where a yellow gem with blood red dots rested. One of his father's Horcruxes. Then it hit him. Durza hadn't killed his father! Even if the other Horcruxes had been destroyed, he still held the last one! His father could still be brought back! How could he have forgotten!?

"Give it to me," repeated Durza, leaving no room for argument.

Jack lifted his glacier gaze, that was now dotted with red. "No," he told the Shade. He thought he had lost his father once. He was not going to lose him again.

"Wrong answer, boy," said Durza in a deadly whisper. He pulled his long sword out of the ground and raised it over his head. He started to bring it down, but Jack was ready. His training kicked in and he rolled out of the way just as the sword hit the ground where he had previously been laying on.

"Do you honestly think you can outsmart me, boy?" taunted Durza.

Jack took a battle stance. "Yes!" he said. "You can't kill me!"

Durza readied another blow. "Really?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. "If you wanted to kill me you would have already done it!"

"Watch your mouth, Heir," said Durza before lashing out with his sword. Jack ducked, but then Durza twirled his sword and muttered something Jack didn't catch, and the sword burst into orange flames. The boy had escaped the steel, but his robes had caught fire.

Jack yelped and threw himself to the ground. He rolled until the fire disappeared and he stood up again. His eyes were now completely red. "You can't kill me because only my father or I can take off the stone, and that has to be done willingly!"

Durza sneered. "Smart kid, eh? Yes, I cannot kill you… but I can torture you…"

Jack's eyes turned back to glacier and he hastily pulled out his black obsidian wand.

Durza lifted his right palm. "Thrysta!"

"Protego!" called Jack. However, the boy's shield was not nearly as powerful as his father's and, even though it slowed the effects, the curse still hit him. He fell to his knees and hands as the curse compressed his ribcage and his lungs were robbed of the air in them. He suspected some of his ribs were fractured. He desperately tried to breathe but the air wouldn't pass. He was starting to feel light-headed when Durza cried out in pain and the curse broke.

Despite the lack of air, Jack lifted his green eyed gaze and saw an arrow of light sticking from the Shade's right shoulder.

"Get out of here!" yelled a voice. Jack didn't stay around to figure out who had given the command and took off at a sprint. About ten yards later, however, he collapsed and started coughing violently. He needed air! His thorax was (not literally ¬¬) on fire, both from the lack of air and his semi-broken ribs. Nevertheless, he took a couple of deep breaths and started running again. He could hear a duel going on behind him, but it was soon replaced by the people's screaming and the roars of creatures he had never seen before.

He was on the main street and all around him the buildings were on fire. People ran in every direction and Jack saw that those who tried to Apparate away couldn't and that those who tried making portkeys ended up empty-handed. But what made him stop dead on his tracks were the monsters that were uttering the horrendous war cries. They resembled men with bowed legs and thick, brutish arms made for crushing. They all doubled his size, which made them about a meter taller than an average adult, and carried short swords and round iron shields painted with black symbols. Jack noted that all of them had two twisted horns behind their small ears.

A small bunch of witches and wizards were trying to fight them off but the monsters seemed to be immune to their spells and curses. He started to move again but he did it a second too late. The building on his left exploded and the flying debris collided with him. A piece of rock hit his head and a splintered piece of wood lodged itself on his left side. Not to mention the bits and pieces that fell on his battered body, hiding him from view. He saw that the building that had exploded was the inn he had been staying at.

"'Last Choice' indeed," he muttered to himself before everything turned black.


	6. A Train and a Ship

**Annie: **ñem everything turned out alright… friend A accepted friend B's decision and now friend B is going out with the cheater… hope he doesn't cheat in her too 'cause then I'm going to be really angry… Anywho, I know which C2 you're talking about, Dawn of Power figures among them, but only a few have read the fic to the very end… sad. It seems they prefer the clichés in which Voldy has a daughter and she falls in love with Draco or Harry, etc, etc… I shalt keep this up though!

**Note**: Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to announce that this chapter actually surpassed SIX-THOUSAND-WORDS. Yay!! I'm really proud of it for that and I would love it if it got reviewed.

**Disclaimer**: Same as in the last chapter

XxXxXxXxX

Harry woke up with a start.

He sat up in bed and rubbed the scar on his forehead. It wasn't like him to wake up so suddenly. He glanced at the window and then at the clock on his bedside table. 9:00 A.M., it read. He sighed and got out of bed, as he wondered why he wasn't feeling more excited. In two hours, he would be on board the Hogwarts Express, starting a new stage of his life. He put on his black rimmed glasses and went to his wardrobe to pick some Muggle clothes. He stumbled into the bathroom and changed. When he went out, he felt a sudden adrenaline rush and almost against his will, he strode towards his trunk and lifted it. This was easy because his father had put a Feather-light charm on it. He opened the door, picked up Hedwig's cage with the sleeping owl inside, and rushed down the stairs. He left both the cage and the trunk by the front door and went into the kitchen to have some breakfast. His parents were already there.

"Morning, Harry," greeted James looking up from the Daily Prophet. "We were about to wake you."

Harry smiled at his father and sat down. "Anything interesting in the news?"

"Same ol' crap," said James without thinking.

"James!" snapped Lily. "Don't curse. Would you like some toast, Harry?"

Harry nodded.

"Don't rush me, Harry," said Lily with a frown. "I know you're hungry."

Harry blinked with confusion and then he noticed he was drumming his fingertips on the table. He stopped. "I… I'm sorry, mum… I didn't… mean to…"

Lily raised her eyebrows and James peeked at Harry from behind the newspaper.

"I'm sorry. I guess I'm just nervous," Harry tried to explain. His parents 'Ohed' in understanding and went back to what they were doing. Harry ran his hands through his messy locks. 'What's wrong with me?' he thought. His mother placed a plate in front of him.

"Don't worry, Harry," she said smiling. "You'll love Hogwarts. After a few days you won't want to leave."

James put down the Daily Prophet and looked at his son. "Yeah. Hogwarts is like a second home. You'll meet all kinds of people, make new friends, prank the teachers…" Lily sent him a death glare. "… okay, so you won't prank the teachers, only Snivelly 'cause you know how greasy he is."

Lily picked up the newspaper and used it to hit James. "Don't listen to your father, Harry. It's better if you stay out of trouble."

Harry smiled at his parents and bit into his breakfast. He chuckled to himself. His parents always bickered over things like this. James was always prompting him to prank others (cough, the Slytherins, cough), but Lily, who apparently still felt like she was Head Girl, was always trying to convince him to stay out of trouble, study hard, set the example, that kind of stuff. To be completely honest, he was more like his mum. Sure, he loved to play little pranks on Draco Malfoy and his friends when they met at the social parties he and his parents loathed, but he rather stayed out of the spotlight. His brother would have probably turned out to be the prankster.

"Is your trunk packed?" asked Lily.

"Yes."

"Your owl?" asked James.

"Asleep."

"Good," said Lily with a smile. "We leave in about half an hour, so double check you don't leave anything behind."

They finished breakfast in silence. Apparently his parents were nervous as well, they just didn't show it. "I'm a bit dizzy," he told his parents. They stared strangely at him. "Yeah," he continued. "Like when you stop breathing for a while. He! I must be more nervous than I thought."

Lily looked at him with concern. "Are you sure? Don't you want a pepper up potion?"

Harry shook his head. "Nah. It's all right, mum. I'll go check my room." He stood up and walked up the stairs. With each step he took, his scar prickled more intensely. He rubbed it furiously until he reached his room. He pushed the door open and stood in the doorway. This had been his room ever since he could remember. The cradle had only been replaced by a bed and the colour of the walls had changed, but it was the same old room.

The room in which he had survived the Avada Kedavra.

He started to yawn and found he couldn't make the air pass through his throat. He stopped the yawn and started breathing normally, then tried to yawn again and his scar throbbed painfully, accompanied by a second rush of adrenaline and a set of emotions that weren't his own. Fear, anger, relief, and… was that happiness? His scar throbbed again and he had to bite his cheek to stop himself from crying out loud and scaring his parents. Besides, the pain was nothing new. He had always felt prickles, but they were so slight he hadn't bothered his parents with them. Today was different, though. His scar had never hurt him this much before, and he was starting to doubt whether he should keep quiet on this one. He sat on his bed with his hand on his forehead. Then the pain stopped. He took that a signal to keep quiet.

Harry sighed and stared off into space. He knew he was missing something he just didn't know what. He swept the room with his emerald gaze once more and his eyes stopped on the wardrobe. He stood up and went to open the door. Nothing. Where had he put it? He went to his desk and started opening drawers. Empty. The book shelf… Nil. Harry scratched his chin in thought and then snapped his fingers. He went back to his bed but this time he removed the mattress, and there it was: an old wizard photo with two little boys and a baby girl in it.

Harry sighed with relief as he took the photo and set the mattress back in place. Unlike other wizard photos, this one was coloured. The boys looked to be about one and both had messy black hair. They were identical except for the eyes. Harry's were green. Alan's were blue. Harry had been puzzled about this since neither of his parents had blue eyes, but then Lily had told him that her mother had had blue eyes, and the mystery was solved. The girl had short red hair and green eyes. Harry smiled at the picture of Kristy when she was five months old. This was the last picture that had been taken of Harry, Alan and Kristy together. Baby Harry was smiling at the camera and then looking back at his twin, who was looking at Kristy curiously. Kristy was laying on her stomach and trying to turn her head so she could see the blue eyed boy. Harry noticed that Alan was the palest of the three and that he looked tired. 'He was sick already,' he thought sadly.

"Ouch!" he cried, as he felt a stab of pain both on the left side of his head and on his scar. 'Great,' he thought. 'Now I have a headache.' He put the picture in the pocket of his jeans just as he felt a dull throb start on his left side, just below his ribs. He touched his left side and frowned. What on Earth was happening to him!? He was definitely telling his parents now, because the scar had never caused him so much trouble. He glanced at the clock. 10:14 AM.

"Harry!" called Lily's voice. "Come down now! We have to get to King's Cross and that's far away!"

"I'm coming, mum!" he called back. He stood on the doorway once more, drinking in all the details of his room before turning around and shutting the door. It was time to move on.

XxXxXxXxX

He moaned and sighed tiredly. His head and chest hurt and he felt like he hadn't slept in years. He was laying on something soft and warm, and there was a bandage wrapped tightly around his chest. What had happened? He remembered fire, screaming, pain, Durza, the explosion, the Horcrux… His eyes popped open. The Horcrux! "My father's alive!" He intended to shout it but it came out as a whisper. He blinked and looked at his surroundings. He wasn't in a hospital, he was sure of that. Light streamed in from the windows, though not enough to hurt his eyes. The walls were painted dark blue and the wall opposite to the bed he was laying on was covered by bookshelves made out of ebony. On the wall to his right were a door and a couch. On the wall to his left were a wardrobe, a window, and a desk. He knew this place. It was his old room! At Riddle Manor!

"I'm dreaming," he told to himself. "This last three years have been a nightmare, nothing else."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jack, but they have been very real."

Jack turned his head to the right so fast he cried out in pain. He had to shut his eyes so he didn't manage to see who had spoken.

"Easy, young Padawan," said the voice. "It will be a few hours before you go back to normal."

"Andor?" asked Jack wearily without opening his eyes.

"Who else would call you Padawan?" Andor asked kindly.

"A Jedi Master probably," laughed Jack opening his eyes. He didn't care if laughing hurt him, he was just glad that he was back with Andor. "What happened?"

Andor, who had come in through a door beside the head of the bed, sat on the couch and stared intently at Jack. "I rather told you when you get better. You must rest."

Jack shot him a dirty look. "Yes, but how am I going to rest if the question of what happened will be nagging at me?"

Andor grunted. "Fine. You're right. As always. Are you laying comfortably? Then I'll begin. A few hours ago, yes it was only a few hours ago so don't look at me like that, Durza and a group of Urgals, I'm sure you caught a glimpse of them, went into downtown Ebur looking for the Bloors…"

"Wait a sec," cut Jack. "I met Durza and he said he had been looking for my distant relatives and found me instead. Are you telling me the Bloors are my relatives?"

Andor looked confused. "Didn't your father ever tell you? I'm sure he must have… he would have never kept something as big as this from you… unless… never mind."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" cried Jack, ignoring the pain this caused him. "Unless _what_?"

Andor looked uncomfortable. "Let me tell you what happened first and then I'll explain about the Bloors. As I was saying, Durza was looking for the Bloors. You just had the bad luck to be at the wrong place at the wrong moment ('And I thought my good luck was returning,' thought Jack with an eye-roll). It was Reuben Bloor who found Durza torturing you and told you to run away. Then, I don't know what possessed you to go so near to a burning building, but the building exploded and you were caught under the rubble. If Paris, an old vampire friend of mine, hadn't seen the building fall on you, then you would surely be dead. He healed your wounds to the best of his abilities and watched over you until I arrived. For some unknown reason, Durza retreated and once the all clear was given I brought you here. Mainly because the hospitals were full. That was around… one o' clock in the morning."

Jack's mind was swimming with questions. His head gave another painful throb and he winced. "Can you tell me about the Bloors now?"

Andor leaned back on the couch and sighed. "I'll go straight to the point. You do know you are Salazar Slytherin's Heir through your father, don't you?" Jack nodded and Andor continued. "Well, the thing is Salazar had two sons: Sheridan and Sebastian. Sheridan, or Shay, was the older of the two. You and your father descend directly from Shay, while Reuben and his sons descend from Sebastian. So that would make you distant cousins."

Jack blinked. "Okay… so now I know how I'm related to the Bloors, now, could you tell me why my father didn't tell me about this?"

Andor grimaced. "I was hoping you had forgotten about that. It's mainly classified information so I'll do my best. Reuben Bloor, Tom Riddle, David Cineris, Diego Hawkins, Audrey Pike and a score of others discovered something when they were young. As the years went by, the group split. They each followed their own paths, but then, a few years before you were born, rumours of their deaths started spreading through the underworld. It was dangerous for them to try to contact each other, for fear of their whereabouts being discovered, so maybe your father thought Reuben had died and he didn't see the point in telling you about him."

"There's more to it," said Jack with a thoughtful expression. While Andor was telling the story, Jack had managed to sit up and was now leaning in with interest. His eyes had turned glacier blue in concentration. "Father would have told me even if Reuben Bloor had died. He did mention him, though; he just never said we were related."

"You're sharp, Jack Riddle," said Andor, and Jack had the decency to blush slightly. "Yes, there is more to it, but this is not the place nor am I the right one to speak of the matter."

Jack grimaced but didn't ask more questions. He knew when a matter was closed. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. It read 8:11 AM. He was about to lie down again when he remembered something. "Andor!" he cried. "I've got a Horcrux! I can bring my father back!"

Andor frowned and stood up. "You have a Horcrux? Let me see that…"

Jack reached inside his shirt and pulled out a silver chain. He showed Andor the yellow gem and for the first time in his life he saw Andor the Grey's jaw hit the floor. "How… how did you come to have this?"

"My… my father gave it to me," replied Jack. Andor seemed to be struggling for words. He stepped closer to examine the gem and took a deep breath. Jack magically made the chain longer so Andor wouldn't get so close and so he didn't have to take the gem off for Andor to see it properly. Andor took the gem in one trembling hand. "Andor, are you alright? Not even I reacted like that…"

Andor shook his head. "Do you have any idea of what this is? But… could it be?" he asked weakly.

Jack's face darkened. "I'm starting to suspect it isn't a Horcrux, and that my father is really dead."

Andor released the gem and looked sadly at Jack. "I'm sorry Jack. It… it's not a Horcrux."

Jack sighed in defeat and fell into the pillows. He should have known better than to get his hopes up. Now he felt like he had lost his father all over again.

"Jack," said Andor. The boy looked up. "I know this is not the best time but I desperately need to know something. Could you please take the gem and concentrate in turning it violet?"

Jack sent Andor a look that plainly said 'What the heck!?' but since Andor truly looked desperate, Jack set his emotions aside and grabbed the gem. 'Turn violet,' thought Jack dully, looking at the gem. 'Violet. Violet. Violet. Violet. Viole…' Jack broke the eye contact with the gem and looked at Andor. "This is stupid," he grumbled. "I can't feel anything happening."

"Try harder," prompted Andor. "Picture the gem going violet in your mind and then try again."

Jack shook his head. "You're insane," he muttered, but he closed his eyes and imagined the gem turning violet. Then he snapped his eyes open and concentrated on the gem once more. Violet. Violet. Vio… "Whoa!"

Both Jack and Andor had to shield their eyes from the intense violet light that sprouted from the gem. Jack wrapped his hand around its cool surface and the light dimmed enough for them to be able to see properly again, although the light still filtered through Jack's fingers and he was pretty sure he could see the bones of his hand against the light.

"Andor…" he said weakly. "What _is _this thing?"

Andor's face was solemn. "That Jack, is a sunstone."

"A sunstone? What's a sunstone?"

Andor seemed to be battling with himself. He decided to answer. "A sunstone, Jack, is a stone that gives light; of different wavelengths and intensities. But this sunstone in particular is a Key."

Jack asked the obvious. "What does it unlock?"

Andor looked seriously at Jack. "What I am about to tell you is very dangerous information, and you should never disclose it without consulting me first. Understood?"

Jack nodded, but he stopped because it made his head hurt.

Andor went back to the couch and started collecting his thoughts. "There are seven sources of power," he started. "Seven very big sources of power. They are called the Keystones, and they are represented by the seven different colours of the spectrum. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Violet being the one that holds the most power. The key your father happened to give you unlocks the Violet Keystone. Before you start asking questions again, let me finish. I have no idea how Tom managed to get his hands on the Violet Key, or why he passed such a powerful thing on to you, but I know this: Durza now knows that you are the Keeper of the Violet Key and he will hunt you down until he has it. I don't know why he wants to unlock the Violet Keystone but it can't be good. Under no circumstances is the Key to fall into Durza's hands, do you understand?"

Jack shuddered at the intensity of the look Andor was giving him. "G-Andor… how am I going to be able to protect the Key from a Shade? He managed to… to kill Father… how is he not going to be able to kill me?"

"You forget something," said Andor with a knowing smile. "Your father thought ahead again. He charmed the chain so that only he or you could take it off _willingly_. Durza needs you alive and willing to give him the Key, just like you reminded him when he attacked you."

Jack frowned and glanced at his violet coloured hand. "I don't know, Andor. It's too much responsibility… maybe you should take it," he suggested hopefully.

Andor shook his head. "No. Things of this magnitude don't just happen, Jack. You were meant to be the Keeper. The reality is you will eventually become the Dark Lord and people everywhere will begin to fear and respect you. The Key would be safe with you because no one would dare to take it from you." Andor's expression turned dark. "I expect the Key to be protected from you."

Jack nodded in defeat and watched as the violet light faded. "I just got two last questions, and if you answer me I promise to go back to sleep," he whispered. At Andor's nod, he continued. "Do you know who the other six Keepers are?"

Andor shook his head. "No. You are the first Keeper I have encountered. And you must be very careful of not being discovered by anyone else. Not even by your most trusted friends. What's the second question?"

Jack sighed in disappointment before asking, "Where are the Keystones?"

Andor leaned back on his seat. "No one knows. Actually, no one has known of their location for at least one thousand years. There are no books speaking of them, not even legends… all clues have been lost over time. The only ones who know of the Keystones' existence are the Key Keepers, the Headmaster or Headmistress of Ingoldstadt, and Durza himself. Now sleep. I'll wake you up when it's time to go."

Jack let himself fall on the pillows again and as his eyelids began to droop he asked, "And how did _you_ get to know about the Keystones?"

Andor smiled mysteriously. "You said two questions. Sleep."

Despite his troubled thoughts and his injuries, Jack smiled and his eyes turned sapphire blue with amusement. "You'll never change," he said, before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

XxXxXxXxX

Harry pushed the trolley ahead of him. He had only been at King's Cross once before so he could hardly remember the way to Platform 9 and 3/4. He was lucky his parents and the Weasleys knew its location by heart. They weaved in and out of the Muggle crowds; trying to escape the weird looks they were given. Hedwig was surprisingly still asleep, and Ron's rat, Scabbers, was silent in his cage. James and Percy the perfect prefect marched in front, followed by Harry and Ron who in turn were followed by the twins. Lily, Molly and Ginny brought up the rear.

"Here we are," announced James. "Percy, you go first."

Percy puffed up and walked straight into the barrier that separated the Muggle world from the Magical one. Fred and George followed and then came Harry's turn. His father stood beside him and told him how to cross, "You just run straight for it, like I've told you before. Once you're on the other side wait for us, alright?"

Harry nodded and took off. The brick wall melted around him when he passed and he caught his first glimpse of the Hogwarts Express. At least one hundred families were on the Platform, saying their good byes to the children and teens that were boarding the scarlet train. A few seconds later, Ron joined him in the Platform.

"It awesome, isn't it?" Ron said. Being the sixth Weasley he had seen the train before.

"It's really cool," replied Harry with his eyes glued on the train.

Then the three adults and Ginny crossed. "…re too young, Ginny," Mrs. Weasley was saying. "You'll go next year."

Ginny pouted and the Potters joined their son. "So… what do you think?" asked James.

Harry looked at the crowd again and smiled. "I feel better already," he said. Lily ruffled his hair fondly. She had discovered that grooming it was a waste of time a long time ago.

"Go find a compartment, then come back, okay?" she said.

"OK," said Harry. "C'mon, Ron. Let's get a compartment before all of them are taken."

Ron nodded and followed Harry through the crowd. They climbed into the train, helping each other with their trunks, and found an empty compartment at the end of the train. They put their trunks inside and went back to the outside to search for their parents. While looking for them, they came across the Longbottoms, the Bones, the Smiths and other families they had met before. When they spotter Molly Weasley's red hair and got closer they didn't see one, but two redheaded girls.

"Kristy!" called Harry.

Kristy whirled around and her face broke into a smile when she saw Harry.

"I thought you weren't going to make it," he told her when he caught up with the group. Sirius and Orion were there as well.

"Yes well," she babbled. "I wasn't going to come, actually…" She blushed at his slightly betrayed expression. "You know I don't like good byes…" she explained blushing harder.

"Liar," muttered Orion. Ginny scowled at the younger boy and pulled him away from the conversation by the neck of his shirt. The train's whistle was blown and children started boarding the train.

Mrs. Weasley hugged each of her sons and James and Lily took turns to hug Harry, then Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry. Twice. Sirius hugged Harry as well and ruffled his godson's hair. "Have a good year, kiddo," he said.

"Remember to prank Snivellus," whispered James in Harry's ear.

"Be a good boy, darling," said Lily. "Study hard."

Harry smiled at his three favourite adults and was about to follow Ron and the twins into the train when Kristy caught him and hugged him as well. Then she discretely kissed his cheek with a quick "Bye, Harry." and went to stand behind her father, blushing furiously. Harry went slightly pink and touched the spot were she had kissed him.

"C'mon, Harry!" called Ron from the train. "The train's leaving!"

Harry climbed into the train and looked out one of the windows. His mother and Mrs. Weasley were crying. Sirius and his father had proud smiles on their faces and Orion was jumping up and down as if he were possessed. "Bye, Harry!" he hollered. "Bye, Ron! See you next year!"

The train lurched forwards and the whistle was blown again. Harry and Ron waved good bye to their families just like the other children were doing. Ginny and Orion ran after the train but then the train turned a corner and both children disappeared from view.

Harry sighed. "Well, let's go back to our compartment."

"Yeah," said Ron.

They picked their way through the small crowd of teenagers. 'Being small first years has its advantages, too,' thought Harry as they slipped through the small spaces between the larger bodies. They finally made it to the end of the train and when they entered the compartment they found a chubby boy kneeling on the floor. He was facing the floor so he didn't se them enter.

"Neville?" asked Harry.

Neville jumped about a foot in the air and hastily stood up. "I'm… I-I'm so sorry, Harry. I didn't mean to intrude it's just… well…"

Harry smiled. "Why don't you seat with us Neville? By the way, this is Ron Weasley. Ron, this is Neville Longbottom. I've told you about him."

Ron scrunched up his face and sat down beside the window. "You're the kid that's always following Harry at the parties, right?"

Harry sent Ron an exasperated look and sat down opposite the redheaded boy. Neville sat beside him. "Yeah," he said slightly embarrassed. "That's me."

"Oh, well… nice to meet you," said Ron offering a hand.

Neville's face broke into a smile and took the offered hand.

"What were you doing here, Neville?" asked Harry.

Neville blushed. "I was looking for my toad, Trevor. He got lost when I was saying good bye to my mom."

"Oh, well," said Harry. "I'm sure it will show up, sooner or later."

"Thanks, Harry."

Harry turned to look at Ron. He was staring at the window and drumming his fingers on his lap. "What's bothering you?"

"Nothing," answered Ron a little too quickly.

"C'mon, Ron. I know you," said Harry. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, really. Just Fred and George being silly again…"

"What did they tell you?" asked Harry suspiciously.

Ron spun his head around, as if making sure that no one was spying on them. Then he leaned in and whispered something.

"What?" said Harry.

Ron beckoned Harry and Neville closer and whispered, "They said You-Know-Who's son is coming to Hogwarts this year!"

Harry rolled his eyes and sat back. "Of course he won't. Dumbledore wouldn't allow it."

Neville paled and looked at Harry. "Are you sure?"

Harry took in his friends' scared faces and frowned. "Oh c'mon," he said. "Voldemort's son at Hogwarts?" Ron and Neville flinched horribly. "Stop it guys. He's dead, remember? Gone."

"So?" said Ron defensively. "He was scary. Who's to say his son won't be the same?"

"Voldemort's son is not coming to Hogwarts," said Harry through clenched teeth. Ron and Neville flinched again.

"Please don't say his name…" whispered Neville.

"Oh but he is coming to Hogwarts, Potter," drawled a voice from the compartment's door. "And I must say we're best friends. Almost like brothers."

Harry rolled his eyes again. "Get out of here, Malfoy. Besides, I'd bet you hadn't even heard of him before we did."

Draco Malfoy straightened and was about to fire a comeback when Harry stood up and shut the door in the blond boy's face. Then he locked it. "There," he said before going back to his seat. Ron and Neville still looked uneasy so Harry took a deep breath and said, "Listen. Whatever Malfoy said, he was bluffing. Besides, Dumbledore's smarter than that. He would never allow someone as dangerous as the Heir to attend Hogwarts. We can trust him."

"If you say so…" said Neville. Ron still looked uncertain but let the matter drop. They hadn't been alone for five minutes when there was a knock on the door. Neville, who was closest to the door, stood up and opened it.

"Have you seen a…" started saying a bushy-haired girl who was already wearing her Hogwarts robes. "Oh, it's you, Neville. I'm sorry; no one on the train has seen Trevor. Who are you sitting with?"

"I'm Ron Weasley," muttered Ron.

"Harry Potter," said Harry.

"Are you really?" said the girl. "I know all about you, of course – nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course – I've learnt all the course books by heart, of course, and I got a few extra books for background reading, and you're in _Modern Magical History _and _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts _and _Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century _– I'm Hermione Granger, by the way." She said all this very fast.

Harry and Ron shared a look.

"Um…" said Harry uncertainly. "It's nice to meet you, I guess. I-I didn't know I was mentioned in so many books…"

"Well, you are," said Hermione from the doorway. "Do any of you know in which house you will be in? I hope I'm in Gryffindor, it sounds like the best. Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor; though Ravenclaw doesn't sound bad either. Do you mind if I come in?"

By the look in Ron's face, Harry knew that his best friend would like nothing better than to push Hermione Granger off a cliff. But Neville seemed to like her so Harry decided to give her a chance. "It's alright. You can sit here if you like." Harry ignored the look of betrayal Ron was giving him.

Hermione closed the door behind her and sat down in front of Neville. "Did you read the news this morning? Someone broke into Gringotts!"

Ron finally seemed interested. "Yeah, I heard. Weird, right?"

"What happened to them?" asked Harry. 'Same ol' crap,' he thought. 'Sure dad.'

Ron was in his element, for now he held the attention of the other three. "Nothing. That's why it's such big news. Apparently whoever broke in didn't take anything, either."

Harry frowned. "But who could break into Gringotts and come out unharmed?"

"Someone Dark, surely," said Ron. "Or at least that's what my dad said. Isn't it a bit odd?" he added as an afterthought. "That suddenly the Dark Heir is announced in the news and a while later someone Dark tries to rob Gringotts?"

Harry shook his head. "You're obsessed, Ron."

"But, Harry, just think about it!" insisted Ron. "What if it was him who broke into Gringotts?"

Hermione gave him a superior look. "How is a boy our age going to break into the most protected building in Britain? It's illogical."

Ron glared at her. "Well he's the Dark Heir. He would be powerful enough."

"Ron," sighed Harry. "Just drop it, will you? Fred and George lied to you. The Dark Heir is not _that_ powerful. Hermione's right: he's just a boy our age."

Ron huffed and went back to looking through the window. Hermione sighed and stood up. "Do you want to keep searching for your toad, Neville?"

Neville nodded gratefully and followed her through the door. "Bye, guys," he said. "It was nice to meet you, Ron."

"Likewise," grumbled Ron without looking at the round faced boy.

Harry shook his head at his friend. "Bye, Neville, bye Hermione," he said. Then he looked back at his silent friend. Honestly, Ron could sometimes be a drama King.

XxXxXxXxX

Jack felt shivers run up his spine. Each time he shivered, he remembered his mother and what she'd told him. She had been a slender woman. Fair haired and grey eyed, Tom would often tease her and tell her she was Lucius Malfoy's long lost sister. She wasn't very pleased with the comment so she teased him back, saying he looked too much like James Potter to be a Slytherin. That always shut him up.

Jack smiled at the memory of his parents' everyday bickering. Yes, Voldemort was a formidable Dark Lord, but when it came to his son and his soul-mate he became a completely different person. For one thing, he went back to looking like Tom Riddle. The snake-face, as Jack called it, was just a mask to scare people. His father seemed to love theatrics. But the 'mask' also gave him freedom. It was always mighty fun when both he and his father took a stroll through the Light communities in Ebur. Needless to say, these were the communities that supported Dumbledore. The people would wave and smile at the handsome man and his young son. Jack snorted softly. If only they knew…

"Jack, are you ready?" asked Andor pulling him out of Memory Lane. "Move it, kid. The ship sets sail in half an hour!"

The boy sighed and pulled a black shirt over his head. "I'm almost done, Andor," he called. The Grey wizard had woken him up a few minutes before and had given him a last check up. All the bruises had healed amazingly fast, except for his ribs. Andor said it was strange since Jack hadn't taken any potions. He was immune to most of them and his wounds wouldn't have healed at that rate without them. Jack agreed that it wasn't normal, but then again, what about him was?

Jack pulled on a robe and walked out of the room, where Andor was making a Portkey with a piece of parchment. "Take your bag and put a finger on the parchment," he told him without looking up.

Jack did as he was told. "I hate Portkeys," he muttered before feeling the familiar tug below the navel and landing in a crouch at Port Aquila.

"This way," said Andor. The man's strides were so long Jack had to jog to keep up.

"Hey," said Jack. "Why the rush?"

Andor didn't answer Jack's question. Instead he pointed a white ship and said, "That's the White Dragon. It will take you to Arx Crystallus. There will be someone waiting for you at the ramp. His name is Shancus Von, and he will be starting his second year. I have to go now but I'll owl you tomorrow. Good luck and have a good year." Then he Apparated to Heaven knows where.

Jack stared at the place Andor had been in a few seconds before. "He's nuts, he is," he muttered to himself. He kept walking towards the White Dragon, which was a big ship with huge sails. Andor was right; the ship was getting ready to go. He sped up his pace when he saw families saying their good byes. Some families were normal looking, but others he couldn't even begin to describe. He saw the ramp right away and made a bee-line for it. On the ramp were two girls and one boy. One of the girls was normal looking: dark-skinned and dark-haired. He couldn't say much for the other two, though.

The second girl had green hair, green eyes and her skin had a green tinge. The boy was half-human, half-something. Very thin with shoulder length yellow-green hair, narrow eyes, strangely webbed fingers; his body was covered in _scales _of green, gold, yellow and blue. The boy caught sight of Jack and called, "Jack Riddle?"

Jack nodded, then shook his head to clear it and climbed the ramp. The boy smiled and took a step forward. "My name's Shancus Von." He held out a brightly coloured hand and Jack shook it. Shancus' palm felt slippery, but dry. A few of the scales came off and stuck to the black-haired boy's hand when he let go. They were like scraps of coloured dead skin. "Welcome to the White Dragon," he said.

XxXxXxXxX


	7. A New World

XxXxX A New World XxXxX

"… and that door over there leads to the deck."

Jack nodded and followed Shancus through the door he had just pointed. After introducing himself, Shancus had explained he was in charge of giving him a tour of the ship and Ingoldstadt castle once they arrived. In other words, and as Shancus had bluntly put it, Jack was supposed to stick to Shancus as an over-chewed bubble gum until he could manage not to bump his head on invisible walls. Shancus had also noticed the curious glances the wizard gave him and had laughed before explaining that he was half-human, half-snake. This had puzzled Jack even more and Shancus went on explaining that his father had been born from normal humans, and that his mother was a half-blood witch, so no one knew where the condition had come from. As far as Shancus was concerned, he, his father and his little sister were the only snake-people in the world. Curiously, they couldn't speak Parseltongue.

When Jack had told Shancus that he was a Parselmouth, Shancus had reacted the exact opposite way than most witches and wizards did. "You can speak to snakes?" he had said. "That's so cool! I wish I could speak to them, too… hey! Maybe you should come over to my place and speak to my snake! I've always wanted to know why she sleep-crawls…" he had continued to babble excitedly about Jack being a Parselmouth and all the things he had wanted to ask his pet snake and Jack had found himself smiling. It was rare to find someone who talked about snakes the way the snake-boy did. Most people were either afraid of them or found them disgusting. But then again, Shancus was half-snake so…

"Hey, Von!"

Jack and Shancus turned to the source of the voice and saw a Chinese girl with straight black hair and tan skin. There was an orange haired boy trailing behind her.

"Hello, Yin," greeted Shancus. "Jack, this is Yin Iwase. Yin, this is Jack Riddle."

Yin and Jack shook hands. "Pleased to meet you," said Yin before turning to the orange haired boy behind her. "This is Kenichi Oosaki. Oh and, Kenichi, this is Shancus Von." Kenichi and Shancus shook hands and then the Oriental boy shook hands with Jack. The now sapphire eyed boy noticed that Kenichi's eyes were amber.

"Where are you from?" Yin asked Jack.

"From right here," answered Jack. "Ebur."

"Then you didn't have to travel!" cried Yin. "You're so lucky! Imagine the ones who came from Russia or Egypt! The time difference is huge!"

"Actually," said Jack. "I had been living in England for five months before returning to Ebur three days ago."

"Hmm…" said Shancus. "Riddle doesn't sound like an Eburian surname."

"That's because my father is… _was_ British," explained Jack. "But I was born in Ebur."

"Oh," said Yin, but didn't mention anything about Jack's slip. "I'm from China. Beijing."

"I'm Austrian," said Shancus. "But my family travels around a lot, so my siblings have different nationalities. What about you, Kenichi? Where are you from?"

"Japan," replied Kenichi. "My family lives in Kyoto."

"Sorry for asking," said Shancus. "But why aren't your eyes slanted?"

Kenichi sighed, as if he had been asked this question many times before. "My mother was a Magi," he said simply.

'That explains the hair and the eyes,' thought Jack. 'Wait… _was_?' He thought it would be better not to ask. After all, no one had asked about his father.

"So…" said Kenichi turning to Shancus. "You're Shancus Von what?"

"Just plain Von," answered Shancus. "Unless you want to call me Shancus Von Austria, and that sounds a bit weird."

All of a sudden, dozens of children and teenagers started piling into the deck to wave good bye to their family members standing on the port.

"Looks like we're leaving," commented Jack.

"Yep," agreed Shancus. "Shall we go and wave good bye as well?"

"You guys go," said Jack. "My parents aren't here," he said almost to himself.

"I'll stay as well," said Kenichi. "My father had to leave early in the morning."

"Alright," said Yin. "Just don't wander off so we can find you." Having said that, she left, closely followed by Shancus.

"So you're half Magi?" asked Jack to start a conversation.

Kenichi seemed glad that the silence had been broken. "Yeah," he replied. "My father is a wizard but Mother was a fire Magi. Apparently I am, as well," he added. "What about you? Are you half-something or a pureblood?"

"Well," started Jack, thinking of how to best answer the question. "My father was a wizard and my mother a witch, but my grandparents were kind of mismatched. My paternal grandparents were a witch and a Muggle, and my maternal grandparents were… weird. I think one of them was a pureblood and the other had a distant elven relative… but I'm not sure. I never met any of them."

Kenichi nodded in understanding. "Yeah, I never met my grandparents either. Seems we have something in common," he added with a grin.

Jack grinned back. To anyone who knew Jack as the Dark Heir it would seem strange to see him interacting with half-bloods and half-breeds as he would interact with purebloods, but Lemuria was full of strange races and weird combinations, and Jack had grown to like or hate people for _who_ they were rather than for _what_ they were. He still hated Muggles, though. There was a short silence and then Kenichi said, "I think we've started to move."

"Indeed we have," answered Jack. The ship's sails were bulging with air and sure enough the buildings around them seemed to be moving. "I hope we don't go into any atmosphere."

"You mean, out of any atmosphere," said Kenichi looking at the sky. "I didn't like coming into this one."

"That's something else we have in common," said Jack looking at the sky as well.

"Had you heard of Ingoldstadt before?" asked Kenichi.

"You mean, before I got invited?" said Jack looking briefly at his companion. At his nod, Jack said, "Just in passing. I knew it was a school that very few people attended and that it was very well hidden, so most people know nothing about it. But that was it."

"I didn't even know that," said Kenichi turning to look at Jack, who was still looking at the sky as if hypnotized. "I wonder if the other people on the port can see this ship."

"Probably not," replied Jack locking gazes with Kenichi.

"Your eyes changed colour," said Kenichi, squinting. "They're lighter."

Jack blinked a couple of times and his eyes went back to sapphire. "They change according to my emotions or with what I'm doing," he explained.

"Cool," said a third voice. Both Jack and Kenichi turned to look at the speaker. It was a boy. He had sandy hair, green eyes, and his skin was slightly tanned. "I'm Tancred Torrson, by the way. Canada."

"Kenichi Oosaki. Japan," said Kenichi.

"Jack Riddle. Ebur," said Jack.

"Lucky you," said Tancred. "I came from higher up."

"I was actually living in England," said Jack.

Tancred blinked. "Why?"

"Hey, that's true," said Kenichi with a thoughtful expression. "What were you doing in England? Holidays?"

Jack bit his lip, wishing he hadn't mentioned it. "It's a long story. One that I rather didn't remember."

Tancred and Kenichi shared a glance and shrugged.

"Okay."

"No prob, mate."

"Thanks," said Jack with a small smile.

"Tancred!" called the voice of a girl. "I've been looking for you everywhere!"

Tancred winced. "I was just meeting people, Nora. I'm not a baby; I'm not gonna get lost!"

Jack looked at the girl who had called Tancred's name. She looked older than them. She had light brown hair, green eyes and tan skin.

"That's my sister," said Tancred. "Her name's Nora. But you may call her 'the Torrson tour guide' or 'the Torrson tornado'. Take your pick."

"Nora will do," said the girl with a small scowl. "And you are?"

"Jack."

"Kenichi."

"Nice to meet you," said Nora. "Why are you alone?"

"Our _tour guides _went to wave good bye to their families," answered Kenichi. "They should be back any minute now. In fact, that's them," he added nodding his head towards the approaching figures.

The three second years greeted each other and after a while they decided that the six should stick together, so Nora, Shancus and Yin led Tancred, Jack and Kenichi back into the ship and all the way to the 'dining room'. They sat at a table and the three second years started talking about teachers.

"Amundsen teaches Potions," started Yin. "She's pretty cool. Outside classes, of course, 'cause she loves Potions and she won't have anyone messing up her lab."

"And there's Edere, the Transfiguration teacher," continued Shancus. "She's neutral to everyone… unlike Obex, who picks her favourites and massacres the rest of the class."

The two girls shuddered when Obex was mentioned.

"Math's teacher. She's evil," said Nora. "Stay away from her if you appreciate your life."

"Yeah," agreed Shancus. "She's the kind of teacher who gets sad when you pass a quiz and gets happy when you fail."

"Charming," commented Jack dryly.

"You should have seen her last year," said Nora. "Poor Omar from Kyrgyzstan is clueless when it comes to maths. In our first quiz, he only managed to answer one question out of ten correctly. Obex's smile could have lit up the entire castle."

"I'm looking forward to meeting her," said Kenichi sarcastically.

"There're other teachers who are cross," continued Yin. "But they teach the older years, so we shouldn't worry about them… yet."

"I don't think there's someone worse than Obex," argued Shancus. "The way she looks at you, the way she explains, her voice… and she tends to tell you how stupid you are but she uses nice words so you won't feel too bad. As if!" he huffed.

"Leaving Obex behind," said Yin looking pointedly at Shancus. "I'm sure you'll fall in love with Helen. She's the History teacher and she will make you call her Helen because 'Professor' makes her feel old. Watch out for her vocabulary. It's really funny hearing her talk."

"She's passionate, guys," said Nora. "Once she's started talking about a subject, she won't stop until the bell rings."

"She's particularly fond of the word 'terrible'," added Shancus.

"Talking about terrible," said Yin. "You do know that Ingoldstadt teaches the Dark Arts, right? Not just defence against them?"

Jack, Kenichi and Tancred nodded.

"Well, the class is given by a vampire," continued Yin.

"You never said one of your teachers was a vampire!" cried Tancred looking at his sister.

"I forgot," said Nora matter-of-factly. "His name's Swallowraw."

"How fitting," said Jack with a smirk.

"There're all kinds of races at Ingoldstadt," said Shancus. "Monsieur Leloup, the French teacher, for example, is a werewolf. And the Astronomy teacher is a centaur."

Jack laughed. "I'd like to see that kind of teachers at Hogwarts! The students would be terrified!"

"That's because they're all racists!" cried Tancred defensibly. "Dark creatures should be treated as equals! Not shunned out and be treated as animals!"

Jack gaped at the sandy haired boy. Tancred was actually standing on his seat and was starting to attract attention from the other students. Nora buried her face in her hands and shook her head but made no move to stop her brother.

"… ow would it feel if Dark creatures took control of the governments and high institutions and shunned them out instead, huh!? Don't do to others what you don't want done to you!"

An older student, probably a sixth year, rose a bottle of butterbeer and cried, "Hear, hear!"

"That's Sven, from Norway," supplied Yin. "He's a werewolf."

Jack and Kenichi watched in amazement how Tancred continued his speech on equality and the unfairness of the situation Dark creatures found themselves in, and how the rest of the students in the dining room started to applaud. When Tancred seemed satisfied with what he had said he sat down beside Jack, leaned back on his chair with his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.

"Where did that come from?" asked Kenichi looking at Tancred in awe.

"I'm a werewolf," he confessed. "And I don't like being stepped on because of it."

"That's what I love about Ingoldstadt," muttered Shancus. "It doesn't matter what you are, pureblood, half-blood, half-breed, Muggle born, Dark or Light, or an unnamed freak like me," he added bitterly, "Everyone at Ingoldstadt will treat you as an equal. Except for Obex, of course."

The six companions laughed at Shancus' obvious dislike of the maths teacher as the snake-boy started yet another rant about how horrible Obex was, and how she planned to brainwash the students with arithmetic. Jack just looked on and smiled, all the while thinking that he had finally found a place where he wouldn't be criticized, feared or hated for being Dark. A place where he fit in perfectly.

XxXxXXxXxX

Meanwhile, on the other side of the world… Potter, Harry was sitting on a three-legged stool with a talking hat on his head. 'Are you sure? You could be great, you know – no? Well, if you're sure – better be GRYFFINDOR!'

XxXxXXxXxX

Jack stared at the infinite blackness in front of him. During the last few hours, Shancus, Nora and Yin had been showing Jack, Kenichi and Tancred the whole ship. They had also met some students from the older years. Also, during the 'tour', the three second years had told them that there were only ninety-six students at Ingoldstadt per year, which they said was pretty cool but also very bad, because everyone knew who you were. There were no houses like at Hogwarts since the number of students was so low there was no point in splitting them up; instead, there were eight common rooms (one per year) and they were all connected to a central common room where students from every year could meet.

When there were no places left unexplored on the ship, Shancus and the two girls left Jack, Kenichi and Tancred to their own devices. They were now on deck, leaning on the railings and either watching the sea, the stars or, in Tancred's case, the floorboards. They had become fast friends, which was pretty unusual in Jack's case since, as an introvert, he tended to be a bit antisocial. Along the way, Jack had told his new friends that he was an orphan, though he didn't tell them who his parents had been. He didn't think they were ready yet. He had also discovered that Kenichi lived with his father and his little sister, Natsumi, because his mother had disappeared a few years after Natsumi's birth.

Tancred, on the other hand, came from a big family. His father, Edward, was a werewolf and had passed the condition on to Tancred but not to any of Tancred's five sisters. He had no brothers. Nora was the eldest, Tancred the second, then Olivia, then the twins, Chloe and Jade, and finally little Emily, who was three. His mother was a witch in a high government position who fought for the rights of werewolves and other Dark creatures in Canada. Apparently Tancred had inherited her political spirit.

"Check that out," said Tancred with a playful smirk.

"What?" asked Kenichi.

"Over there, on the ship's bow," Tancred said.

Jack turned discreetly to his left, past Tancred's sandy head and saw a couple of seventh years making out. "Crap," he said. "You'd think they'd be smart enough to get a room. Apparently not."

"Gross," said Tancred with a shudder.

"I'll remember this day when I see you making out with a girl," Kenichi told Tancred. "We'll see if you still think the same way."

Jack laughed lightly as Tancred glared at Kenichi. "I will never, and I repeat, never be seen making out with a girl."

Before he could stop himself, Jack asked playfully, "Will we see you making out with a guy then, Tanc?"

Kenichi and Jack burst out laughing as Tancred attempted to punch both of them. Soon, Tancred was laughing as well and just trying to punch them for the sake of it. He got Jack's right shoulder but they were both laughing so much that Jack barely felt the hit. The kissing couple was so absorbed in what they were doing that neither noticed the fighting boys or how they all fell to the floor when the ship suddenly decreased its speed. They fell on top of each other, Jack at the bottom and Tancred at the top.

"We must be arriving," said Tancred.

"Would you mind getting off me?" said Jack in a slightly squashed voice. "You're kind of heavy."

Kenichi pushed Tancred off him and stood up, closely followed by Jack, who dusted his robes as he looked out on the ocean. "Is it just me or is it getting a little cold here?"

Tancred blew from where he was sprawled on the floor and his breath came out white. "It's a little cold."

"Let's go inside," said Kenichi. "And look for cloaks or something. We must be very far south if it's this cold out here."

Without further ado, the three boys scrambled into the corridor that led to the 'common room' where they had left their packs. When they got to their destination they found other students lounging on the armchairs. Some had their cloaks on; probably the ones coming from warm countries. There was a fireplace, oriental rugs, Japanese lamps hanging from the ceiling… the 'common room' was an amazing mixture of cultures. Jack spotted their bags beside an Inuit totem and led the way towards them. Each pulled out a cloak and sat on three armchairs near the fire. They had started to talk about what school would be like when Yin arrived.

"Thank Merlin I found you!" she said. "We're about to arrive. I see you got your cloaks. Good. Put them on; the Antarctic Circle is quite cold."

While Tancred didn't look surprised, Jack and Kenichi exchanged disbelieving glances. "The Antarctic Circle?" Jack managed to choke.

Yin laughed at the looks on their faces and said, "Put your cloaks on, grab your bags and follow me."

The three boys obeyed and saw Yin whisper something to her wristwatch. This time the three boys looked confused but remained quiet, nevertheless. They climbed a staircase and met Shancus and Nora at the top. Both had their cloaks on.

"C'mon," said Nora. "The ship's already stopped."

"Are we still underwater?" asked Jack. "'Cause I didn't feel the ship going through any atmosphere."

"Nope," replied Shancus. "We're above. We didn't feel any turbulence because the ship's too big. There're a lot of unmapped islands down here in the Antarctic Circle. Arx Crystallus is one of them."

"How big is the island?" asked Kenichi looking out on the steely water and the big ice chunks around them.

"That's a good question, actually…" said Nora thoughtfully.

"We can find out when we get there," said Yin. "C'mon, Rego is waiting."

"Rego?" asked the three first years at the same time.

"You'll see," said Nora mysteriously.

Jack, Kenichi and Tancred followed the second years through a ramp. Jack stuck his hands in his cloak's pockets to stop them from freezing and tried not to take deep breaths. The air was freezing! Anywhere he looked there was ice and snow and sleet. He couldn't possibly imagine where in this inhabitable place the school could be. His new friends seemed to be thinking the same thing because they were both looking around with confusion. The three second years, however, looked perfectly happy and, most confusing of all; they didn't seem to be cold.

"There's Rego," said Nora pointing at a dark figure wearing a green robe. "This is where we leave you, guys. We'll see you after dinner." The second years waved good bye and started walking inland. They were soon swallowed by the raging sleet.

"Let's meet this Rego person," said Jack. The other two nodded and they walked towards the figure Nora had pointed. The closer they got the more features they managed to see. Rego was a black woman in her late thirties. They could tell she was thin and unlike them, she wasn't shivering in the Antarctic cold. They could now make out other shapes around the woman: children their age, all shivering.

"Ah, the last three have arrived," said Rego. Her voice was rich and slightly musical and Jack felt a little drawn towards it, but he knew better than to trust someone at first sight. Once Jack, Kenichi and Tancred joined the circle of first years, Rego spoke again. "Welcome to Arx Crystallus. My name is Nyah Rego, Professor Rego to you, and I am the Deputy Headmistress. Behind me lies the path that goes to Ingoldstadt. You will be able to see it as soon as the twelve of you are keyed into the wards. When I call your name, step forward and write your full name into this book," she swished her hand and a book and a quill materialized out of nowhere and stood floating beside Rego.

"Bloor, Ralph."

The black haired boy Jack had seen in the robe shop stepped forward nervously. 'He's my relative!' remembered Jack with a pang. 'My cousin!'

Rego explained to Ralph, and to the others, that the only way to be keyed into the wards was by blood. The twelve children exchanged uneasy glances and Ralph gulped. Rego handed the black quill to Ralph and Ralph took a shaky step towards the aged book. He scribbled something down and then cried out in surprise. Jack stiffened at the smell of blood and his eyes automatically followed the thin trail of red liquid that was flowing from the back of Ralph's hand. He shook his head and the hungry feeling was gone. 'Weird,' he thought.

"Cooper, Amy."

The same process was repeated with the blue eyed blonde, except this time Jack didn't feel drawn to the precious red liquid. Next went "Dubois, Zoé," who had black hair and grey eyes. "García, Isabel," had her light brown hair in a bun. She had happy honey eyes and a small frame. Actually, she was the smallest in the group. "Hadji, Neema," had tan skin, black eyes and black hair. "Khatabi, Otieno," was a black boy. He was bald. After him went Kenichi.

The half-Magi looked briefly at Jack and Tancred and walked towards the Deputy Headmistress. He took the black quill in his trembling right hand, which Jack now recognized as a blood-quill, and signed his name. Jack saw his friend hiss and step back. 'Bloody quill,' thought Jack smirking inwardly.

"Riddle, Jack."

Jack's heart skipped a beat but he stepped forward. Rego locked gazes with him and handed him the quill. As Jack took the bloody thing, he noticed that Rego's eyes were a very light green colour and that her black hair was short and _spiky_ under her hood. 'Some Deputy Headmistress Ingoldstadt's got. I'd love to see McGonagall with spiky hair,' he thought smirking. He turned his eyes on the old book floating in front of him. _Generation 5000_ read the top of the page. Apparently they were going to celebrate the school's fifth millennium this year. He swept his eyes over the short list of names. _Ralph Elliot Bloor _was brown already, but _Kenichi Oosaki_ was still very fresh. Jack licked his lips and wrote _Jack Akor Riddle_ and winced when his name was cut into the back of his hand. A few droplets of blood escaped the cut before it healed again. Then, he stepped back to join Kenichi and watched how "Santos, Aura," a tan skinned girl with curly dark brown hair, stepped forward.

"Sunners, Aaron," was an Albino and after he signed, "Torrson, Tancred," was called. Jack and Kenichi watched in amusement how Tancred bowed to Rego and took the quill as if it were made out of crystal. He signed his name and handed back the quill with another bow. Now only an auburn haired girl was left.

"Vaskov, Lidiya," called Professor Rego.

The girl stepped forward and as she finished signing her name the murderous cold suddenly stopped. Jack, Kenichi and Tancred exchanged confused glances. Professor Rego closed the book and sent it back to wherever it had come from in the first place. Gradually, the ice they were standing on started to melt; the sleet stopped falling and the wind's speed decreased until it was only a breeze. The twelve new students watched in awe as the inhospitable land they were standing on transformed into a beach with white sand and palm trees that had sprouted from the ground. Behind Professor Rego was a cobblestone path that led into a rainforest.

"Now," said Rego watching their expressions with an amused smile. "Follow me."

The twelve youngsters did as they were told and followed the tall woman into the noisy tropical forest. Toads croaked, lizards crossed their path at amazing speeds, curious clabberts jumped from tree to tree above their heads and fwoopers flapped around. A distant roar made them all jump and Otieno Khatabi, the black boy, gasped.

"W-was that…a-a…" he stuttered. "…a N-nundu?"

Rego turned to face the twelve youths with a serious expression on her face. "Yes, there are Nundu here. This island has quite a considerable size and we share it with all kinds of magical creatures. There are very few Nundu in the island, however, and they all live on the east side. Only the seventh years enter that side of the island, for obvious reasons. You might hear them roar from time to time ("Who? The Nundu or the seventh years?" Jack whispered into Kenichi's ear and Kenichi was quick to turn his laughter into a cough) but as long as you stay out of the east side you'll be fine. Let's keep going."

They continued walking down the cobblestone path but they were now casting nervous glances into the seemingly impenetrable jungle. Soon, new kind of trees started to appear and little by little they found themselves walking in a forest. Owls hooted on the highest branches of the trees but apart from that, nothing seemed to be moving. Jack thought this was strange since the jungle had been brimming with life. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a black shape canter to the depths of the forest. Rego seemed to have seen it as well.

"What was that?" asked Jack quietly.

"What was what?" asked Kenichi.

"There was a black shape over there," said Jack pointing.

"It must have been a Xanadu," replied Rego. "They're black unicorns with golden horns. Almost extinct. Now, if you step a bit to the left you might catch the first glimpse of the castle."

The twelve youths moved all together in the direction Professor Rego had mentioned and were left speechless. "Oh. My. God.," Lidiya Vaskov managed to say.

"Whoa," muttered Jack. The castle before them was even more stunning than Hogwarts itself, which was saying something. Jack would never admit it out loud but he had been very impressed by Hogwarts. Ingoldstadt, however, was another story. Ingoldstadt was as wide as Hogwarts, but Ingoldstadt's highest tower was taller than even Hogwart's Astronomy tower. Yet, it was not Ingoldstadt's height that had left Jack open mouthed. "What is the castle made of?" he asked weakly.

Rego smiled. "Crystal," she answered simply.

"How can it be made up by crystal?" asked Ralph Bloor gaping at the enormous structure. "Even if it's got an unbreakable charm on it…"

"The castle was built five thousand years ago, Mr. Bloor," answered Rego as she started walking again. "No one knows how it is still standing."

Jack stared at the shimmering material with an awed expression. It produced the strangest of effects, the crystal: It was colourless so you could see through it, but at the same time you couldn't. There were many turrets and towers but Jack counted seven towers that were bigger and taller than any of the others. The seven towers were arranged in such a way that, when viewed from the sky, they would form a spiral. Each tower had a different tinge, from red to violet. The red was the shortest tower out of the seven and the violet one was the tallest. Jack blinked. 'There are seven sources of power,' he heard Andor's voice echo somewhere in his memory. 'Seven very big sources of power. They are called the Keystones, and they are represented by the seven different colours of the spectrum. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Violet being the one that holds the most power.'

Jack took a sharp intake of breath. Could the Keystones be somehow related to Ingoldstadt's seven towers? After all, Andor had said that the Headmaster or Headmistress of Ingoldstadt knew of the Keystones' existence. What did Ingoldstadt have to do with the 'sources of power'?

He didn't have more time to think because they had now left the forest and were walking on an open piece of land. The castle was now in full view and Jack couldn't help but gape at it again. How many secrets could be hidden behind those crystal walls? Five thousand years of history were bound to produce many, he reasoned.

Jack had always liked to solve mysteries. The need to know the truth was something that he had inherited from his father. Like the Dark Lord, the Heir would go to the end of the world just to find the answer to a question regardless of the obstacles. However, this need had gotten him into a lot of trouble with his parents. Tom and Sam never lied to their son, that was true; but the Dark Lord and the 'Dark Lady' kept many things secret and it frustrated Jack to no end. So the boy would often snoop into his father's study and carefully look for clues of things that Tom could be hiding. He had been caught _once_ by his father, but instead of punishing him as Jack expected his father to do, Tom had sighed and cursed genetics, then asked his Heir what he had found. After listening to his son, Tom had warned the boy not to ever enter the study again without asking first if he wanted to keep himself intact. Jack never entered the study again. He knew how creative the Dark Lord could be when it came down to punishments.

He was jerked out of Memory Lane when his foot hit rock instead of cobblestone. The eleven children around him were chatting excitedly and swapping theories on how the castle could still be standing after all this time. He noticed that they were now walking down a bridge that was as wide as five elephants in line. Below, the lake that surrounded Ingoldstadt shimmered and rippled with gentle waves. Above, Ingoldstadt castle loomed like a quiet sentinel, daring the Heir to the Dark Throne to uncover its secrets.

If only he had known how those secrets would change his life…

XxXxXXxXxX


	8. Settling In

**TanyaPotter:** Hello there : P Thanks a lot for your review! It sure made my day lol

**Disclaimer**: Must I go through this every time I post? Hmph… c'est la vie… I don't own anything you recognize. There.

**XxXxX Settling In XxXxX**

"I still can't believe that Sirius didn't say anything," said Harry aghast.

"What did you expect?" said Ron before stuffing his mouth with toast. "Th'ss srus veave aking 'bout."

Harry blinked. "What?"

Ron swallowed. "I said: this is Sirius we're talking about."

"Oh," said Harry. "Yeah, Sirius…" his voice trailed away as he thought what would become of Hogwarts with Sirius Black teaching the post that Snivellus Snape had been after for so many years. "You'd think that at least Kristy would have told us something. Apparently not."

"Aw, c'mon, Harry," said Ron having swallowed his food. "It's been a week already."

Harry and Ron were both sitting at the Gryffindor table eating their breakfast. The night of the welcoming feast, Professor Dumbledore had stood up and introduced the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher: Professor Sirius Black. Harry almost collapsed.

The green eyed boy looked around him. Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger had both been sorted into Gryffindor, much to Ron's displeasure. They were sitting together a few seats down. In front of them were Seamus Finnigan and Dean Thomas, whom they shared a dorm with. Very few students had been sorted that year, Harry noticed. Eight for Gryffindor, seven for Ravenclaw, six for Hufflepuff and nine for Slytherin. Only thirty.

Ron started making choking sounds, pulling Harry out of his reverie. The redhead had been staring at his timetable and drinking pumpkin juice at the same time. Harry hit his back and then looked down, where his own timetable lay.

"We have double Potions with Snape and the Slytherins first thing in the morning!" yelped Ron. "Great way to start the day!" he added sarcastically.

"Why do they keep doing this to us?" moaned Harry. "Who did we piss off to deserve this!?"

Ron nodded vigorously. "The man favours his House no matter what."

"I wish McGonagall would favour us," muttered Harry. "Anyway, at least we have our first Defence Against the Dark Arts class after lunch to make up for it. And it's double."

"Now, that's a class I want to take," said Ron scrutinizing his timetable again. "We have Charms after Potions."

"And we should get going," said Harry checking his wristwatch. "Just in case we get lost. Again." Ron nodded and they stood up.

Harry sighed as he remembered his first Potions class. By some kind of miracle, he had managed to arrive early, though that didn't save him from Snape's wrath. The Potions Master was determined to hate him no matter how well he did in his class. He had ridiculed him in front of his classmates already, though only the Slytherins found it funny. Especially Draco Malfoy. Harry shook his head and quickened his steps when he saw the entrance to the dungeons. Snape would probably ask him hard questions again and the green eyed boy wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of not knowing the answers. This time he had read his Potions book. He would show the greasy bat that Harry Potter could rise to any challenge the Potions Master posed.

**XxXxXxXxX**

At lunch, Harry couldn't stop smirking.

Just as he had predicted, Snape fired question after question at him, and though it had taken him a lot of concentration, Harry had managed to answer all of them. Every. Single. One. Snape, nevertheless, being Snape, found a way to ridicule him again, and expressed how the _great_ Harry Potter needed to become a bookworm to be able to survive the class. Harry had wanted to tell him that he liked being a bookworm thank you very much, but thought better about it and stayed silent. Apparently Snape had been expecting a comeback to dock points but when the comeback didn't come, he just snarled and tapped the blackboard rather viciously so it would display the instructions for the day.

By now, the whole school knew of Harry's triumph over the Potions Master and, much to Harry's dislike, the stares and whispers had started again. He just ignored them. Ron kept on repeating the story though.

"You should have seen Snape's face," he told Lee Jordan between chuckles. "He looked like he had swallowed a whole lemon. And then he still tried to take points from Harry by tainting him but Harry just ignored him. I swear if he could spit fire, Hogwarts wouldn't be standing anymore!"

Harry shook his head. "Stop it, Ron. It wasn't such a big deal."

Lee Jordan looked at Harry as if he had sprouted wings. "Not such a big deal?" he said incredulously. "Are you joking? You're going down in _Hogwarts, a History_ for this, mate. I salute you." Lee Jordan saluted and marched out of the Great Hall.

Harry sighed and turned back to his food, trying to avoid the intensified stares. "If I had known this was going to happen, then I wouldn't have studied so much."

"Oh, cheer up, Harry," nudged Ron. "Any Hogwarts' student that isn't a Slytherin would give anything to be in your place right now."

"Perhaps," said the emerald eyed boy. "The only problem with all this is that Snape took out all his anger on Neville."

Ron grimaced. "I hate that greasy git," he said. "Dumbledore should fire him."

Harry found he couldn't agree more. They finished their meals in silence and started the trip to the fourth floor where the DADA classroom was as soon as they were finished. When they arrived at the door they saw that there was already a queue to enter the classroom. They waited for five minutes while the rest of Gryffindor and Slytherin arrived and the bell rang. The door swung open on its own accord.

"Creepy," murmured Harry as the students filed in.

He stared around him curiously. It was only the first week of classes and Sirius had already personalized the DADA classroom. Every window was open so the sunlight flooded the room. All the desks were cast to the side and a red and gold mat covered the floor. Sirius, however, was nowhere in sight.

The class stood awkwardly in the middle of the classroom clutching their backpacks and satchels and looking around nervously. A low growl drew their attentions to the only dark corner of the room. Harry could only make out a pair of bloodshot eyes glinting dangerously. The class huddled together, even the Slytherins who they shared the class with, and some of them pulled out their wands. Harry was among them.

The growling grew louder and the creature bared its long yellow fangs, making a few girls shriek. Harry turned to look at Neville who had gone deadly pale and was trembling. Ron's eyes were almost popping out of his skull in fear and Hermione was mumbling every defence spell she had ever memorized.

Without warning, a black blur flew out of the corner, snarling and snapping its fangs, its bloodshot eyes staring. The class screamed and ran for the door as one. "It's the Grim!" cried a boy in panic. His statement was met with screams and a few sobs. However, before they could reach the door, the bear-like dog came to a halt and its growling subsided.

"That's not the Grim," said Harry with a frown.

The dog looked at him and then turned into a handsome man with a soft pop. "Indeed, Mr. Potter, I'm not the Grim."

The class exchanged confused glances and relaxed when their DADA teacher grinned at them. "Sorry for that little scare," he apologized. "As you already know, I'm Professor Black and I will be your Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. If you please get away from the door I will explain what is expected from you in this class." He waved his wand and the desks returned to their places. Harry and Ron rushed to the front, fear forgotten. Sirius was sitting on the teacher's desk. Once the whole class was seated and the Gyffindors were staring at their teacher with awe, Sirius cleared his throat.

"You won't need your books for today, so you can put them away," he told them. There was a soft shuffling as books returned to their bags. "Now, can anybody tell me why I started the class the way I did?" Harry was impressed that not even Hermione knew the answer to Sirius' question. But then again, why would anyone start a class in the shape of a snarling dog? Sirius regarded the class with a thoughtful expression. "No one, I see… Then, can anybody tell me what you did wrong when you saw me in dog form?"

This time Hermione raised her hand. Sirius nodded at her. "We got scared," she said simply. "When animals feel fear they feel threatened and they attack."

Sirius nodded. "Yes, exactly. Five points to Gryffindor. However, and unfortunately for that matter, while that is true for animals, it does not apply to the smartest magical creatures. Especially Dark creatures. Some of those creatures will attack because they are thirsty for blood. In this class I will teach you to control your fear in the face of danger and when controlling your fear is not enough, I will teach you how to defend yourselves. Miss Patil," he called suddenly.

Parvati jumped in her seat and mumbled, "Yes, Professor?"

"Do you know what a Red Cap is?"

Hermione's hand shot into the air.

"Some kind of dwarf?" tried Parvati.

"They resemble dwarfs, yes. Point for Gryffindor," conceded Sirius. "What else, Miss… Parkinson?"

A pug faced girl from Slytherin looked at her friends in alarm. "They… they like… b-blood?" she stammered uncertainly.

Sirius gave a nod. "Point to Slytherin. Miss Granger, right? I suppose you know what a Red Cap is?"

Hermione flushed. "They are small, dwarflike creatures that love bloodshed, and will attempt to beat to death Muggles lost in dungeons or on battlefields on dark nights. As red caps can be repelled easily by charms and hexes, Muggles rather than wizarding folk face the most danger from them."

Sirius smiled. "A very complete answer. Well done. Take another five points for Gryffindor, Miss Granger."

"Know-all," muttered Ron darkly. Harry shook his head in exasperation.

"As Miss Granger said," continued Sirius. "Muggles face the most danger because they can't do magic. You are wizarding folk, so… what would you do if you found yourselves in front of a Red Cap?"

The class exchanged glances. All of them had always relied on their parents where magic was involved. None of them had had a wand before getting their Hogwarts letters. Harry fidgeted nervously when he realized he didn't know how to defend himself from a creature like that. What would he do? Shoot sparks at it?

"No one?" asked Sirius with raised eyebrows. "Oh well, not to worry. That's what this class is for, after all." He smiled. "The perfect spell for a situation like this would be _Stupefy, _a spell that will leave your enemy unconscious. Now, repeat after me: _Stupefy._"

For the rest of the class, Sirius taught them the correct intonation and the wand movements. Then, he conjured a bunch of cushions and paired them up so they could practice the spell. The most he got out of them were a few stumbles. Crabbe lost Slytherin five points when he pushed Goyle to the floor and pretended that it had been the spell. When the bell rang, Sirius told them to practice the spell for homework and advised them to always use a cushion. Then he told Harry to stay behind.

"Go on, Ron," said Harry to his redheaded friend. "I'll catch up."

Ron shrugged and ran to catch up with Dean and Seamus, who were talking excitedly about the class. Harry approached his godfather, who was perched on the teacher's desk again.

"So," he said. "How did I do?"

Harry smiled. "It was a great class, _Professor Black_," he said. "Especially the beginning."

Sirius gave his famous barklike laugh. "You should have seen your faces! For a moment I thought I was seeing a bunch of ghosts! I'm surprised you didn't recognize me, Harry."

Harry snorted lightly. "Yes well, when I see you in dog form you're usually wagging your tail and trying to lick people's faces, not attacking defenceless children."

Sirius grinned. "Hopefully you won't be as defenceless by the end of this year. I plan on giving you guys a few more scares… maybe I'll get you to control your fear so you can think clearly during fights. What class have you got next?"

"None," replied Harry. "This is the last for today… though I got homework to do."

Sirius grimaced. "I hated doing homework, though it's mighty fun to give it," he added with a grin. "By the way, before you leave, I liked how your Stupefy spell was going. If you practice every afternoon you should have it down by the end of the week. Well done, Harry. And something else… I heard what happened this morning in Potions class. Way to go, kiddo! I'm proud of you! I doubt Snivellus will ever bother you with questions again."

The boy managed a small smile. "Yeah… hopefully that'll teach him not to mess with me."

Sirius beamed. "That's the spirit! Spoken like a true Marauder, as well. Haha! I'll see you at dinner."

Harry nodded and waved good bye to his godfather and rushed to meet his friends in the Gryffindor common room.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Jack sighed and blinked at the ceiling. The first week of classes had been the best week he'd had in years. Except for Maths, of course. What Shancus had said about Obex had been completely true. As soon as she had laid her beady brown eyes on Ralph Bloor, Jack knew that she had chosen her favourite. She proceeded to quiz them on Maths. Ralph had been the only one able to answer all her questions correctly, followed by Amy and Otieno and in third place: Jack. The rest had failed miserably and Obex had expressed her condolences most graciously:

"Do not worry my dear proletarians," she had said. "Mathematics is an exact science that possesses a beauty that most people might never grasp, for a logical and mathematical intelligence is only found in the most recondite of intellectual localities. But do not fear my amateurs, I will do anything within my seize to ensure your unfeasible understanding of this impeccable science."

Jack had to stop breathing so he wouldn't burst out laughing at the ridiculous language, Kenichi had frowned and Tancred had looked completely lost. Ralph had merely scratched his nose. Obex expected them to know every single formula related to areas and perimeters and to be able to solve algebraic equations. The only way Jack managed to pull through the infernal quiz was with raw logic and most of the time he hadn't even known what he was doing. By the end of the class, Jack thought he had found Snape's soul-mate.

Potions with Professor Amundsen had gone smoothly. She had been impressed by his knowledge of Potions, something he owed to his mother, since she had taught him almost everything she knew about them. In Charms, Professor Fletcher made them cast every charm they knew. Jack's knowledge of charms and spells had been rivalled only by Ralph's. Transfiguration, however, he only knew in theory, while Ralph could already change a needle into a button.

Actually, Jack and Ralph seemed to always be the best of the class, no matter what the subject was. This had started a friendly rivalry between the only Riddle child and the younger Bloor child. On the other hand, the older Bloor child, Manfred, who was a second year, looked at Jack as if he were a leech. Manfred would sneer at him and then he and his redheaded friend, Asa Pike, would laugh as if Jack were a private joke.

"Don't mind him," Ralph had told him. "He's only following my dad's example."

"Your dad's example?" Jack had asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah," replied Ralph. "Remember the robe shop? I told you my father holds a grudge against Tom Riddle."

"But why?"

"He wouldn't say," answered Ralph before turning back to his food.

Jack sighed and sat up in bed. He knew he should have gone into his father's study again. Perhaps, if he had had the courage to enter, he would know what on Earth had happened between Reuben Bloor and Tom Riddle to make Manfred hate him so. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thought that was plaguing his mind. More than once he had wondered what had become of Gauri, the white werecat that had helped him escape the fire. Had she made it out alright? Would he ever see her again? He sighed again. With everything that had happened in the last few days he hadn't been able to look for her, and he didn't own an owl so he could send a message to Andor and ask him to help out with the search. He got out of bed and went to have an early shower. As he neared the door, Kenichi steered. Unlike Hogwarts, Ingoldstadt provided rooms for two people only, which meant that each common room, except for the main one, had six rooms.

The first years' common room was three storeys high, which meant that the rooms were built on top of each other. To the left were the girls' rooms and to the right the boys'. On the first floor slept Ralph, Otieno, Amy and Zoé. On the second floor Isabel, Neema, Kenichi and Jack himself. And on the third floor Aura, Lidiya, Aaron and Tancred. Their common room was decorated according to their cultures: Ralph was from Marmor, a country in Lemuria that was characterized by marble. Otieno was from Algeria, Amy from New Zealand, Zoé from France, Isabel from Spain, Neema from Egypt, Aura from Mexico, Lidiya from Russia, and Aaron from Australia. And of course, Jack from Ebur, Kenichi from Japan and Tancred from Canada.

Jack poked Kenichi's shoulder to wake him up but the orange haired boy waved him away as if he were a fly and slept on, then Jack shook the boy's shoulder but he got the same result. The Heir shook his head at his friend and stepped into their bathroom. He stepped out with his hair dripping wet and wearing his midnight blue robes on top of his everyday clothes. Kenichi was still in bed. Jack smirked mischievously and pulled out his wand.

"_Levicorpus_," he whispered.

"Aaargh!" yelled Kenichi as he was lifted into the air by his ankle. "Let go!"

"As you wish," said Jack with a singsong voice. "_Liberacorpus!_"

Kenichi fell on his bed like a pile of clothes and managed to sit up while shaking his head.

"About time you woke up," Jack said with a smirk. "We have classes today, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," grumbled Kenichi. "What was that spell you used on me, anyway?"

Jack shrugged. "Just a spell I heard the Half-Blood Prince cast once."

"Can you teach me?"

"Sure. After classes though, 'cause we're running out of time."

Kenichi looked incredulously at Jack and then snatched his wristwatch from the bedside table. Jack sat on his unmade bed while Kenichi read the time.

"Why didn't you wake me sooner?" shrieked Kenichi jumping from his bed and diving into his wardrobe. Jack shook his head and looked at the ceiling.

"I did try," he told the frantic boy. "It's not my fault you sleep like a rock."

Kenichi grimaced and went into the bathroom. Jack sighed when he heard the water start to run and stood up. He stretched his back and then waved his hand to set the bed covers straight. He went to his satchel and pulled out his time table. He started with Transfiguration, then Maths (Jack groaned at this), then Potions, then a short free period, and then double Dark Arts. Jack shook his head disbelievingly. What would Britain's board of governors say about Ingoldstadt teaching the Dark Arts? He started looking for the books he would need that day just as Kenichi stepped out of the bathroom attempting to dry his fiery hair with a towel.

They exchanged some words on that day's classes and once Kenichi piled his books into his own satchel they were off. They climbed down the wooden stairs into the empty common room, through its front door and ended up in a curved corridor. They jogged through it until they found the stairs that would take them to the lower levels of the castle. On their way down they almost crashed into Aaron and Tancred, who were talking about soap.

"Soap?" panted Kenichi once they had caught up. "You guys are talking about soap?"

As Tancred explained the seemingly magical aspects of soap to Kenichi and Aaron shook his white head in exasperation, Jack noticed with a pang that he wasn't tired, while Kenichi looked ready to collapse. He frowned in confusion. He knew he was in good shape but he also knew that the same journey would have tired him out a few days ago. They reached the ground floor in a few minutes and started looking around for anything that could point them in the direction of the Dinning Hall.

"I can smell food to the right," said Tancred.

"You can?" asked Aaron incredulously.

Tancred tapped his nose and said, "Werewolf." to which the other had no comments.

They followed Tancred's nose and came to stand in front of a pair of huge crystal doors. Once again Jack marvelled at not being able to see through them even though they were transparent. Tancred pushed the doors open and they found themselves in a room as big as Hogwarts' Great Hall. There were several circular small tables today and, because Aaron had been whisked away by Lidiya, Jack, Kenichi and Tancred found an empty table for themselves and it filled up with food the moment they sat down.

While Tancred filled up his plate with everything he found, including a candle, and Kenichi looked on apprehensively, Jack mused on the similarities between Ingoldstadt and Hogwarts. The ceiling of Ingoldstadt's Dinning Hall didn't show the sky but flashes of colour would suddenly dart through it and at night, they would form the Aurora Borealis. Probably because they were practically in Antarctica.

In the welcoming feast, there had been eight tables instead of Hogwarts' four. There had been no sorting but Headmaster Taue, a dark skinned man from Lemuria, had reminded them that the entrance to the seven towers was forbidden, as well as the entrance to the east side of the island unless they were seventh years or eight years… or had a dieing wish.

"Hullo," said a voice. "Can I sit with you?"

The three boys turned their heads in the direction of the sound and saw a small boy they hadn't seen before.

"Sure," said Kenichi. The boy grinned and sat across from Jack.

"I'm Billy Raven."

"I'm Jack Riddle," said Jack.

"Kenichi Oosaki."

"Fmmre Ofrson," said Tancred with his mouth full.

Jack and Kenichi exchanged glances and then said in unison, "He's Tancred Torrson."

The small boy smiled. He had white hair and red eyes. He also wore glasses. "I'm an albino," he explained. "I don't see too well, but I do have a great sense of hearing, because I'm a half-vampire."

"Interesting," said Jack almost to himself. "Hang on, aren't you a bit young for Ingoldstadt?"

"I'm seven," replied Billy. "And I was chosen from birth, but I'm an orphan so they keep me here."

"I'm an orphan too," said Jack softly.

Billy's face glowed. "Great!"

Jack frowned.

"Oh… no!" said Billy realizing his mistake. "I didn't mean 'Great!' as in 'It's great you're an orphan', I meant 'Great!' as in 'I'm not going to be alone during the summer anymore'."

Jack's expression softened. "Oh… sure, I'd like to stay here for the summer with you," he said awkwardly.

Billy smiled thankfully.

"So where are you from?" asked Kenichi.

"Lemuria," said Billy.

"I'm from Lemuria, too," replied Jack. "Where in Lemuria do you come from?"

"Fulgur. You?"

"Ebur."

"The Ivory City," said Billy with wonder. "I've always wanted to go there. Is it true it's made out of ivory?"

Jack laughed. "No, only the Emperor's palace."

"Still," pressed Billy. "It must be awesome. I mean… it's a whole palace!"

"Well, yeah…" said Jack. "I admit it's quite something."

They kept chatting about nothing in particular and Tancred kept throwing in comments that were muffled by the food in his mouth so no one could understand what he was saying. It would have been funny if it wasn't so disgusting to look at. A few minutes later, Jack found another similarity with Hogwarts: the post. Although there weren't nearly as many birds as in Hogwarts, there were more kinds of them: crows, hawks, falcons, even an eagle, and the customary owls. He blinked when he saw a silver dot dash across the ceiling. Where had he seen that flying style before? He gasped slightly when the silver dot dived through the air and almost crashed into him.

"Horus!" he gasped. "Is that you?"

The bird, which happened to be a silver Gyr falcon, chirped excitedly and rubbed its head into Jack's neck from its perch on the boy's shoulder.

"He says he's happy to see you again," said Billy.

Kenichi stared at the tiny Albino. "How do you know?"

Billy shrugged. "I'm not really sure… I just know. How did you come across a Gyr falcon, Jack?" he asked curiously.

"I stole the egg from the Black Market," replied Jack stroking the silver feathers. "I had no idea it was the egg of a Gyr falcon. I was just lucky."

Kenichi now stared at Jack. "You stole him from the _Black Market_!? How did you get to the market in the first place?"

Now it was Jack's turn to shrug. "Long story."

Kenichi frowned. Why was his new friend so evasive when it came down to his past?

**XxXxXxXxX**

As the days passed, the four boys became better friends. Billy ate meals with them and made them company while they struggled with their homework. He told them that he loved to spend time in the Library and so that was where they did the most horrible invention of all times: homework. Jack was amazed by the sheer size of the room. It was twice the size of Hogwarts' Library and there was no restricted section to be seen. It was three storeys high and it was located over the Main common room. Its ceiling was a huge dome made out of, what else, crystal that changed colour according to the hour of the day so the students always had the perfect reading light.

The Gyr falcon that had almost crashed into Jack was, in fact, his one year old friend, Horus. He had really stolen the egg from the Black Market, where it had almost been sold to a Muggle falconer from the Middle East. Jack didn't know why he had stolen it but from the moment the falcon hatched they had been inseparable. That is, of course, until Jack had been taken to Hogwarts. It had taken Jack months to convince Horus that he had to learn how to fly and hunt his own food because Jack barely had food for himself. He guessed that their separation had already turned Horus into a proficient hunter. It was a wonder he hadn't been caught again since Gyr falcons were very expensive and rare. The Middle East falconer must have been really pissed…

Life at Ingoldstadt was as harsh as Andor had told him it would be. Most lessons were practical and all the teachers expected the best results. He had lost count of how many times he had lost his wand at Defence Against the Dark Arts, or how many times he had walked out of Maths with a headache, or how many times Ayax had thrown him off his back…

Ayax was the newest addition to Jack's familiars. He was a pure black Oris with a diamond shaped white spot on his forehead. An Oris was a winged horse that acted as an Ingoldstadt student's bonded. Every student had one and they were used not only for transportation but for battle as well. Jack and his classmates, however, were not going to learn any battle moves until they were older. Heck, they could barely remain on the Oris' backs while on the ground. They were as young and inexperienced as their riders and not used to humans, so each time someone climbed onto their backs they would start jumping and trying to shake them off. They were lucky the Oris were too young to fly yet; if they could, Jack was sure he wouldn't be alive. Ayax happened to be especially vicious.

All of them were a bit pissed at Kenichi, who had somehow managed to convince his deep red Oris, Áed that he meant no harm and was now able to ride without trouble. Áed's forelegs, flanks, snout and ears were black and so were his mane, tail and the tips of his wings. So each time they saw the bicolour Oris they groaned miserably and rubbed their backs and legs, as if Kenichi's Oris were a reminder of what they were yet to achieve.

Tancred wasn't having any luck either. Axel, his palomino Oris, refused to stand up when Tancred was near him, and Líadan, Ralph's grey female Oris, would try to bite the Marmorian boy if he got near. Ayax would play tricks on Jack. Sometimes he would play docile and let Jack mount him and then he would jump high in the air and Jack would be thrown off his back, whether there was a saddle or not. Other times, Ayax wouldn't be so docile and challenge Jack by letting him mount and then gallop as fast as his legs would allow which, Jack soon found out, was faster than any of the other Oris could gallop and the speed would throw him off balance and he would fall yet again. It was a wonder he hadn't broken any bones yet.

That was something else that was troubling Jack. Ever since he had arrived to Ingoldstadt his body seemed to be able to take any form of harassment with very little after effects. He had asked his friends if they felt the same but they had only glared at him as if he were taunting them for feeling more of the pain than Jack. Jack couldn't blame them; pain always put people into a bad mood. Yet, it didn't stop there. Just the day they had met the Oris for the first time a very strange thing happened at lunch. He hadn't been concentrating on his food because he was too lost in his thoughts. After a while, he noticed that the food was tougher than it should be so he glanced down and saw that he'd bitten the head of the fork and was chewing it to pieces! Very strange thing indeed. He just spat the head back out when no one was looking and fixed up the fork with a 'Reparo'.

Jack was starting to panic. Why was he suddenly stronger? Or faster? Or fitter? These things shouldn't be happening! Maybe the time had come for sending a letter to Andor and ask about the bizarre changes he was experiencing.

**XxXxXxXxX**

Harry and Ron went to visit Hagrid after the first week of classes. Harry didn't know Hagrid that well but James was always speaking wonders of him, so Harry decided he would very much like to meet him. Harry and Ron told Hagrid all about their lessons and how they hated Snape and how Snape loathed Harry. Hagrid just waved off the accusations and told them that if Professor Dumbledore trusted him, then he would trust Snape as well. While at Hagrid's cabin, Harry found a newspaper clipping claiming that the investigations continued in Gringotts after the break-in. The goblins insisted that nothing had been taken, because the vault had been emptied the day before.

The days that followed were filled with excitement. They had their first flying lessons with the Slytherins (neither house was happy with the arrangements) and Harry managed to get the Seeker spot in the Gryffindor team. James and Sirius had been ecstatic at the news and Sirius, who saw Harry everyday, couldn't stop ruffling his godson's hair and congratulating him each time they met. So much, that Harry had even started to avoid him. Later that night, Harry's life took an unexpected turn, when Draco Malfoy challenged him to a nonexistent duel in the trophy room. Harry, followed by Ron, Hermione and Neville had found the trophy room deserted and instead had to run from Filch, ending up in the forbidden corridor. Harry had idly wondered why everything at Hogwarts seemed to be forbidden.

Such was their luck that they stumbled upon a three headed dog and had to run again. Harry had no idea why there would be a three headed dog at Hogwarts but then the strange events that had been taking place clicked in Harry's mind. A vault in Gringotts had been emptied a day before someone tried to steal whatever was in it. Harry remembered seeing Hagrid at the Leaky Cauldron saying he was doing Dumbledore a favour the day the vault had been emptied the first time. And there was no place safer than Hogwarts, so… could Hagrid have emptied the vault that was almost robbed and given to Dumbledore whatever had been in it so it could be hidden at the school? Nothing but one thing was certain; he would get to the bottom of the mystery.

**XxXxXxXxX**


	9. Destiny

**XxXxX Settling In XxXxX**

_Andor,_

_First off, I guess I should thank you for introducing me to Ingoldstadt and all, and I'd do it properly if I wasn't running out of time…. Anyway, there's something that's been troubling me… more like, lots of things that are troubling me… well, the point is strange things have been happening to me, and I really mean strange, unless you don't count biting a fork to pieces strange… I'm faster and stronger than any of my classmates and now I can also see in the dark. It all started when I arrived in Arx Crystallus. Do you think the island had any kind of effect on me?_

_Also, there're some people I haven't heard from in a while. I'd look for them myself but my resources are limited. There's Cineris, you know, my godfather? And Audrey, and Diego, and there's no point in looking for the Lestranges since they are in Azkaban but… do you think you can find Chantal? All those people you know. Now, there're some people I met while I was missing, though most of them are dead. Anyhow, I met a girl called Sarah. She was sold about two years ago in Dras-Leona; you know that slavery's legal there. Stupid Muggles. She must be sixteen or seventeen right now. I also met a vampire at a mine. His name's Damien… or was… he was sent to Helgrind the last time I saw him… about three months before I woke up in Hogwarts' Hospital Wing. I'm not sure if he survived but I never heard about his death so there's still hope. He looked around eighteen but I'm sure he was over a hundred years old._

_There's someone else, though she might be harder to find since she's a werecat. She's white and her name's Gauri. She helped me escape the attack to Downtown Ebur and I don't know if she made it out. I know I'm asking too much from you and that you have work to do and meetings to attend to, but please try to find them as soon as possible._

_Thank you again,_

_J. Riddle_

_P.S. The falcon's name is Horus._

Jack sealed the letter and minimized it with a charm. He then gave it to Horus and the silver Gyr Falcon took off. He sighed. He was definitely asking too much from Andor, but he couldn't help it. He needed to know if his friends were alright… some of them, like Audrey, Cineris and Chantal, he hadn't seen since Sam's murder. Then he had met Ginger, Vince and Sarah. Ginger and Vince were dead, that he knew for sure. Sarah, however, was lost. Then he had met Damien and now he was lost too, possibly dead. Jack shook his head. What mattered now was that he had finally started the search for his surviving friends.

He put his quill back into his satchel and ran from the Owlery to the fourth floor. He had Dark Arts class next and Swallowraw was not someone you wanted to cross, unless you wanted your blood being sucked by a vampire.

On their first Dark Arts class, the twelve first years had been staring uneasily at their professor. Swallowraw had raised an almost non-existent eyebrow at them and asked what the matter was. Isabel had been the one to gather her wits around her and boldly said that they were nervous about being in the same room as a vampire. Swallowraw had grinned sinisterly and shown his pointy fangs at them. They were a lot smaller than Jack had thought they would be. Almost like normal canines.

_Flashback_

"_You know what I love?" said the pale Professor pacing around the room. "I love people who read lots of horror books. Because they believe what they read and hear, and pack silly things like crosses and holy water when they go out to hunt a vampire, instead of weapons which could do real damage, like guns and hand grenades."(Shan 137)_

"_What about wooden stakes?" asked Aaron._

_Swallowraw bore his black eyes into Aaron's red ones. "Any kind of sharp object that is thrust through the heart of a living being, regardless of what it is made of, will kill. So yes, wooden stakes would hurt vampires as they would humans, and so would a marble stake, for instance."_

_When the class didn't seem appeased, Swallowraw kept explaining. "It is true that our appetites are rather exotic. But just because we drink blood does not mean that we are evil. If a vampire kills a human while feeding, then yes, he might be evil. But one who just takes a little blood to fill his rumbling belly… Where is the harm in that?"(Shan 137-138)_

_No one knew what to say to that. For the rest of the class, Swallowraw continued to describe vampires to his twelve students. How they drunk a little bit of blood from a different human every week to keep the hunger down and refrain from killing, how they only drunk from adults, how they aged one year every ten, how they turned humans into quarter, half or full vampires by pumping blood into them through their fingertips and not by biting, how a full vampire's spit could heal any flesh wound…_

_End Flashback_

Because he knew Damien, Jack had already known most of what Swallowraw had told them about vampires. Every myth had been broken. Damien, as a full vampire, could move at amazing speeds, was strong enough to punch a hole into a wall made of concrete with only his fist, his hearing sense was so acute he could hear conversations taking place a mile away from him… however, Jack had never seen Damien use any of his inhuman abilities because Damien was only allowed a tiny sip of blood every two months which was enough to keep him alive.

He was shaken out of his thoughts when he saw the door to the Dark Arts classroom. He was surprised to see it open but didn't complain when he entered without a problem. Kenichi and Tancred had sat down together so Jack sat with Ralph in the only other available seat. Swallowraw was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey Jacob, Riddle me this," Ralph greeted with a grin once Jack sat down.

Jack rolled his eyes. "My name's not Jacob. It's Jack," he replied as he put down his bag. "And the next time you say 'Riddle me this', I'll hex you."

Ralph chuckled. "You'd never hit me."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Why not?"

"I live with Manfred," Ralph said as if that explained everything. Jack was about to fire back a comment when Swallowraw made his grand entrance.

The light coming from the small white sunstones incrusted in the walls dimmed and a weird air current blew their hair into their faces. 'That's new,' Jack thought amusedly as he followed Swallowraw's course from the back of the classroom to his chair. Swallowraw was a master for theatrics; every class he would enter the classroom differently. He would drop from the ceiling, walk through a wall, materialize out of thin air, come out of the shadows… at first they all thought it was fantastic but now it almost seemed comical.

"What is an Element Wielder, Miss Vaskov?" asked Swallowraw in his soft, raspy voice from his chair. Jack smirked when he realized that the Professor's face was partially hidden by shadows.

Lidiya bit her lip. "Erm… I… I don't know, Professor. I never heard the term before."

"Mr. Khatabi," continued Swallowraw. "I believe you can enlighten us?"

Jack sincerely hoped Otieno would because he had no idea of what an Element Wielder was.

The African boy scrunched up his face. "I heard my grandmother talk about an Element Wielder once… something about a man who could control the rain. Are Element Wielders people who can control the elements?"

Swallowraw sighed. "You tell me, Mr. Khatabi."

"I'd say yes, sir," replied Otieno. "But I'm not sure."

Swallowraw stood up and started pacing around the students. "Yes, as Mr. Khatabi said, an Element Wielder is just that. A person with control over an element. Miss Cooper, how many elements are there and which are they?"

"There are four, sir. Water, Air, Fire and Earth," answered Amy.

"That, Miss Cooper, is correct," continued Swallowraw. "Mr. Oosaki, going back to the man who could control the rain, what element did he wield?"

Kenichi frowned. "Water?"

"No," said Swallowraw. "Mr. Riddle?"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. Wasn't rain water?

"Think, Riddle," called Swallowraw from the back of the classroom.

Jack sighed. If it wasn't Water, and Earth and Fire couldn't be, then… "Wind?"

"Correct. Why?"

"Because…" Jack stared at the ceiling as he thought. Then it clicked. "Because he used the wind to move the clouds that were loaded with rain."

"Correct," repeated Swallowraw. "Who can be an Element Wielder, Miss… Santos?"

Aura scratched her nose. "Everyone who's magical," she answered in her monotone voice.

"And why are there so few Element Wielders if everyone has the potential to be one, Mr. Bloor?"

'Here goes know-all,' thought Jack with an eye-roll.

"Because element wielding is considered Dark," answered Ralph.

"Why?" prompted Swallowraw. "All of you listen up. When I ask you something you must always give an explanation of why you gave me that answer. Now, Mr. Bloor, why?"

"Um… I don't know, sir," muttered Ralph with his head bowed.

Jack raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. "You don't?" he whispered to the other boy. Ralph shook his head.

"Does anyone here know?" asked Swallowraw who had started pacing again. When he got no response he said, "Element wielding is considered Dark because it deals with the manipulation of the environment. One. Tiny. Mistake, can be disastrous. Tornadoes, floods, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes, volcano eruptions; some of these disasters and more have been caused by careless Element Wielders in the past so element wielding was branded Dark and banned. Here in Ingoldstadt we do not believe in said ban and that is why every Friday in this class from now on will be dedicated to finding which element each of you wields and then be taught how to use it."

There was a rustle among the twelve students as their Professor caught their attention again. They were going to learn banned magic!

"Three of you will be Wind, three of you will be Fire, three of you will be Earth, and three of you will be Water," Swallowraw went on. "That is one of the many things we take into consideration when choosing Ingoldstadt students. You may have noticed that the robes of third year students and up have a different coloured cuff. Those that wield Wind have white cuffs, Water is aqua, Earth is green, and Fire is orange. The runes of each element are also stitched on the cuffs. By tomorrow, you should have read the chapter on Element Wielders because I _might _quiz you on it. You are free to go."

Jack and his classmates lifted their bags, because they hadn't pulled their books or parchment out of them, and filed out of the classroom talking animatedly while Swallowraw walked back to his office.

"We're going to become Element Wielders!" said Ralph happily.

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Ralph," interrupted Amy. "But it's third years and up the ones who use the runed cuffs. First and second years only discover which element they wield and then they start learning how to use it."

Jack laughed at the look Ralph was giving Amy and went to look for Kenichi and Tancred. They had lunch next so there was no need to rush.

Unless you were Tancred.

"C'mon, Riddle! I'm hungry," the sandy haired boy whined. Kenichi rolled his eyes.

"I'm coming," said Jack dully. "I swear the food is not going to run away."

"This is Ingoldstadt, Jack," retorted Tancred. "If we get to learn banned magic, then the food can sure as hell run away." He grabbed the front of Jack's and Kenichi's robes and started pulling them down the stairs, regardless of his friends' protests.

Jack slapped Tancred's hand off his midnight blue robes. "Quit it, Torrson," he said annoyed. "This is ridiculous."

"Not being early to lunch," retorted Tancred. "That's ridiculous."

Kenichi growled and used his bag to hit Tancred's head. The Canadian boy let go of the half-magi's robes and glared at him. Then he stomped away on his own. Jack and Kenichi shared a glance and went after him.

"Ugh, c'mon, Tanc," groaned Jack. "Don't take it like that."

"Yeah," agreed Kenichi. "We just don't like being dragged down the stairs."

Tancred didn't stop and Jack and Kenichi started to jog after their friend. Then, when they were already on the ground floor that housed the Dinning Hall, Tancred suddenly stopped and the other two bumped into him.

"Tancred, what…" started Jack, then he noticed that his friend was trembling.

Standing on the main doors was a short chubby man with short white hair, a thick pair of glasses, a sharp yellow suit and long green Wellies. Flanking him were two short figures, even shorter than the man, wearing blue hooded cloaks that covered them up completely. The man walked past them without saying a word, but he did smile at them. Kenichi returned the smile and Jack gave him a respectful nod, but Tancred cowered. When they were sure the man was out of earshot, Jack rounded on Tancred.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, puzzled. Kenichi watched on.

Tancred paled and swallowed. "That was _Desmond Tiny_." And that was all they got out of him for a long, long while.

AVAVAVAVAVAVA

Jack was starting to get worried about Tancred.

The werewolf would usually eat everything within sight and crack jokes about everything and everyone. Out of Jack, Kenichi, Billy, Tancred and Ralph, who had now joined the small group, Tancred was the most cheerful. However, since Desmond Tiny's arrival, Tancred had been unnaturally quiet and hadn't touched his food. Definitely not a good sign.

"Oi, Torrson, what's wrong with you?" Ralph asked after Tancred shuddered for the umpteenth time during lunch.

Tancred shook his head slowly while he stared off into space.

"Apart from the full moon being so close," started Jack carefully watching Tancred's reaction. "We met an old man on the stairs when we were coming down. Desmond Tiny or something like that…" As soon as the words 'Desmond Tiny' left his mouth Ralph and Billy paled and exchanged worried glances.

Jack huffed. "Now what? What is it with this Tiny guy?"

"You mean you don't know?" whispered Ralph.

"Know what?" asked Kenichi.

"No one knows until they come to Ingoldstadt," whispered Billy fearfully as he looked around, as if afraid that someone might be spying on them. "Or until an older member of the family comes to Ingoldstadt," he added looking pointedly at Tancred and Ralph.

"Know what?" repeated Jack starting to get annoyed.

Ralph leaned in and Jack and Kenichi leaned in to hear him out. "Know about… _Desmond Tiny_."

Jack raised an eyebrow. "And pray tell, who is Desmond Tiny?"

"He likes to be called Des," whispered Tancred as if he were in a trance. "Des Tiny."

Billy shuddered.

"Des Tiny?" echoed Jack and Kenichi in unison. 'Des Tiny,' thought Jack with a frown. 'Des Tiny, Des Tiny, Des Tiny, Des…'

"Destiny," he whispered.

Tancred swallowed, Billy shuddered again, and Ralph's face darkened.

"Destiny?" repeated Kenichi with a small smirk. "He seemed like a nice old man."

Billy shook his head furiously. "He's a monster."

"Pure evil," added Ralph fearfully.

"He comes to Ingoldstadt once every year to meet the new ones," continued Billy.

"Desmond Tiny cannot possibly be worse than a Shade," argued Jack. "I've seen what they can do."

"Shades do what they do for power," replied Ralph. "So do Dark Lords. Desmond Tiny does it for fun and it doesn't matter to him who gets affected. The more the merriest."

Jack and Kenichi exchanged a glance.

"You said he comes to meet the new ones?" said Kenichi with clear uncertainty in his voice. "When will he be seeing us, then?"

The question was left hanging in the air and, without speaking, the four first years agreed that they never wanted to meet a man with such an ominous name.

When the silence was starting to get uncomfortable and it was certain that none of them was going to touch their food again, Headmaster Taue stood up and the Hall quieted. His features were set in a serious expression but his fingers were twitching. A streak of electric violet flashed across the ceiling.

"I have news for you," he started in his deep voice. "Whether good or bad is up to your own criteria." He paused and the older students stiffened. "A visitor has just arrived to our school. Mr. Tiny…" he was interrupted by gasps and muttering all over the Hall. The students were frantic. They paled and shared glances, held each other's hands and squeezed them; spoke in fearful tones to their friends… even the teachers looked nervous.

Jack sought Manfred out with his gaze. He found him at the other side of the Hall looking solemnly at Taue, who raised his arm and brought silence to the Hall again.

"I know what Mr. Tiny's arrival means to all of you," he spoke softly but his words echoed around the Hall. "Stick to your usual routines and you should be able to avoid him. First years will follow Professor Rego in a moment," he paused again and was about to say something but seemed to think better of it. "Good luck."

Professor Rego stood up. "First years line up outside the Hall, please. I will be with you in a moment."

Jack took a deep breath and looked at his friends. "Shall we?"

Kenichi nodded slowly and Ralph gulped. Tancred seemed to be ready to faint.

"Let's get this over with," said Ralph standing up.

"Good luck, guys," whispered Billy.

Jack and Kenichi had to pull Tancred up by his shirt because the boy simply refused to move. The other students' stares followed them as if they were a funeral procession or as if they were about to be executed, until they reached the door. A fourth year even made the vampire sign of death.

When the twelve students were outside the Hall, Rego walked through the doors. "Follow me," she said solemnly.

Jack frowned. Tiny couldn't be that bad or… _could he_? He noticed that the girls, Aaron and Otieno looked as clueless as he felt.

Rego led them up the black marble staircase, a corridor to the right, two floors up, turned left, one floor down and stopped in front of a wooden door with a dragon carved into it. She had started to raise her hand to knock on the door when the door swung open on its own.

"Come in, come in," called a merry voice. "Don't be afraid, I don't bite… much," the voice laughed.

Rego held the door for her students and stepped in behind them. Ralph was at Jack's right and Kenichi at his left. They had entered a hexagonal room with green walls made of the same material the castle was made of with a desk in the middle. Behind it sat the man in the yellow suit they had seen earlier being flanked by his blue cloaked bodyguards. Their faces were still hidden behind the hoods.

"Nyah, darling!" greeted Tiny when the students had formed a line in front of him. Jack noticed that the Deputy Headmistress and DADA teacher shuddered when the man called her darling. "My word, where is Taue?"

"He will be here in a moment," replied Rego seriously, though she looked as if she couldn't wait for him to arrive.

Mr. Tiny turned to the twelve students and smiled at them. He was barely taller than Jack, and his teeth were many and pointy… however, his smile was kind. All of them, except for Jack, Kenichi, Tancred, and Ralph, smiled back. Wrong move.

"Well, you four," Mr. Tiny said coldly with his light blue eyes trained on them. "Didn't your parents teach you manners? Tut, tut… we'll have to fix that."

Amy kicked the floor with unease and the others frowned. Poor Tancred was trembling and trying to hide behind Kenichi.

"Tancred Torrson," said Tiny. "I saw your sister last year. I was told you hate drinking blood as a werewolf. I don't blame you; nasty, repulsive stuff. Apart from young children, I can't stand it. It is far sweeter, and untainted don't you find?

"You can't drink blood from a child," muttered Jack remembering what Damien the vampire had told him, and saving Tancred from answering. "If you did, you'd kill them."

His eyes widened and so did his smile, "So?" he asked softly.

For a split second, Jack thought the man was joking, but he looked completely serious. It wasn't until that moment that Jack noticed a heart shaped watch hanging from a chain around Mr. Tiny's neck. It seemed to glow, giving the man a sinister look. All of a sudden, Jack knew why his peers feared this man so much. _He was evil_. Not cruel like his father, but pure demonic evil. This was a man he could imagine killing a thousand people just to hear them scream for his own amusement… not even because of blood purity.

Mr. Tiny sat down on his chair and regarded the twelve trembling students. "Torrson, Oosaki, Riddle, Bloor, Cooper, Santos, Khatabi, Sunners, García, Dubois, Vaskov, and Hadji. You seem to be an interesting generation. Generation 5000. Definitely interesting." There was a knock on the door. "Oh, there's Taue, the scoundrel."

One of the blue cloaked figures moved towards the door and opened it. Sure enough there was Taue. How did Mr. Tiny know everything?

"Tiny," greeted the Headmaster stiffly. "Are you done with my students?"

Mr. Tiny laughed, sending a chill down Jack's spine. "I'm just getting started, Taue. Interesting kids you have this year. Perhaps I'll even pay Ingoldstadt another visit this semester, you know; to celebrate the millennium and all."

'NO!' Jack wanted to scream. 'Don't come back! Don't ever come back!'

Mr. Tiny turned to Jack again. "Your face seems familiar. Have we met before, Jack Riddle?"

Jack shook his head. He would know if he had met this creature before.

"Are you sure?" he insisted. "You look _very_ familiar."

When Jack continued to shake his head, Mr. Tiny smiled. "You can't always trust memory. It can be a deceptive monster. Perhaps I'm confusing you with someone else…. Now, Ralph Bloor. I met your brother, too. And your fa… I know where I've seen you before!" Mr. Tiny cried happily turning back to Jack. "You're Voldemort's kid! The sneaky bastard got himself killed some months ago, didn't he?"

The change in Jack was immediate. He stiffened and clenched his teeth, his eyes flashed red, and his glare could have frozen fire. He flexed his fingers and it took all of his will power not to reach for his wand and attempt a Cruciatus curse on the man. "Indeed," he replied through clenched teeth.

Mr. Tiny waved a hand signalling they could leave, but Jack stood his ground. "How did you know who my father was?"

Desmond Tiny turned around slowly. If he was surprised, he didn't show it, though Taue, the children, and Rego were left open-mouthed at his boldness.

"You look like him," Mr. Tiny explained pleasantly.

"I know that," Jack retorted. "But how or when did you meet him? It's not like he showed his true appearance to the public."

Mr. Tiny smiled. "A long time ago, in a situation much like this one. You also look a lot like your cousin here," he added pointing at Ralph, who widened his eyes and turned sharply to Jack, fear forgotten. "Beware, Sheridan. Sebastian will do anything to win the throne back."

Jack ignored Ralph and growled. "How long ago, exactly?"

"Well, if you're ten and you will turn eleven in January," Mr. Tiny said. "That would make twenty-six years. A long time already."

"What did you mean with the warning?" Jack asked.

Mr. Tiny's smile slipped. "You're far too curious for your own good."

"So?" Jack snapped back.

Mr. Tiny leaned forward and his face darkened. "Let's just say I'm not fond of curious folk."

Jack resisted the urge to gulp.

"You can go now," said Taue after a tense silence. "All of you. Your afternoon classes have been cancelled."

The twelve students filed out of the room as fast as they could and the door shut behind them. They paused for a moment to fully process what had happened in the room and then the twelve took off as one at a sprint and didn't stop running until they reached their common room.

"Are you completely insane!?" yelled Aura at Jack once they had all collapsed into the armchairs.

"I…" gasped Jack.

"What on Earth possessed you back there?" asked Isabel with awe.

"I don't know…" whispered Jack. "I have no idea why…"

"Did you know we were cousins?" cut Ralph looking intently at Jack.

Silence.

"Jack," called Ralph a bit more forcefully. "Did you?"

Jack looked up at Ralph. "I found out the day we boarded the White Dragon."

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Ralph with a slightly betrayed tone.

"I couldn't think of a way to do so," explained Jack. Ralph looked sour. "Oi, how would you have reacted if I suddenly told you 'Hey, Ralph, guess what? We're cousins!' would you have believed me?" retorted Jack defensibly.

For some strange reason, Ralph found this funny and burst out laughing. "Of course I wouldn't have, little cousin!"

Jack was taken aback. "Little cousin?"

Ralph grinned. "I turned eleven two months ago. You're the Benjamin of the Slytherin line."

Jack opened his mouth to retort but closed it again. He opened and closed his mouth for another moment trying to find his voice and ended up saying, "What?"

Kenichi sniggered in the background. "Burn this into you memories, guys. You'll never see the Dark Heir looking this clueless again."

Jack mock glared at Kenichi but the effect was ruined by the smirk playing in his lips. "Clueless your aunt, Oosaki."

There were some nervous laughs among the few students. Jack surveyed them with his gaze and noted how scared they looked. Aura and Isabel had lost their sudden 'straightforwardness' and were now looking at their shoes. Jack frowned. Were they still scared because of Mr. Tiny? Or worse… were they scared of _him_ now that they knew who his father had been? He glanced at Kenichi and noticed that the Japanese boy was trying not to appear nervous. Tancred, however, surprised him.

Jack had a knack for reading people's emotions. He could tell when people were nervous around him because of him, and he could also tell when people around him were nervous because of something else. Tancred wasn't showing any nervousness because of him.

Tancred, feeling Jack's gaze on him, looked at the other boy with a puzzled expression on his face.

"What?" he said, drawing the others' attention towards them. "Did you think I would freak out because of what… _he_… said? About your father being the Dark Lord?"

Jack blinked. "Once being," he corrected coolly to sidestep the matter. "He's dead."

There was a slight rustle of fabric as Amy shifted in her seat. "And your mother?" she asked in a small voice.

Jack lowered his gaze. "She was murdered when I was seven," he whispered. "It's the third anniversary of her death this December."

There was a short pause and then Tancred spoke. "You didn't answer my question. Did you expect me to freak out like the others?"

Jack spared the other ten students a quick glance before looking at Tancred in the eye. "Honestly speaking… I did," he said evenly.

Tancred nodded. "I know what you mean… I get the same attitudes from people when they hear for the first time that I'm a werewolf… that I'm a Dark creature… it doesn't feel nice, does it? That's why I decided not to judge you because of who your father was… because that's what I'd like people to do were it me in your position."

Jack was shocked into silence. No one, absolutely no one had stopped to think about what Tancred had said once they knew who he really was. They always assumed that if he was Lord Voldemort's son then he must be evil, because they had always been told that Voldemort was the embodiment of evil. Jack never believed that to be true… less now that he had met Desmond Tiny.

"Y'know what?" said Kenichi turning to Jack. "Gomen nasai, Riddle… for not thinking about that first… besides, it's not like you've killed anyone or are planning on it… are you?"

Jack chuckled darkly. "Not _yet_…"

The others looked at him as one.

"I'm kidding, people!" Jack cried raising his hands in mock surrender. "It's not like I'm Des Tiny!"

There was a sudden change in the atmosphere and Jack raised his eyes to the ceiling. Things were going to be really tight if they feared Desmond Tiny so much, so he gathered his courage and took a deep breath. "Listen up, everyone. Let's just forget about this Tiny person." It surprised him how steady and authoritarian his voice sounded, because it had never sounded like that before. "We can't just let him… _tap dance_ into our lives and let him rule them. We have to outsmart him... somehow... and show him we're more than just a bunch of trembling first years too scared to fight back; savvy?"

Some of his companions smiled thinly and others grinned at him.

"Easy for you to say," grumbled Tancred.

Jack cocked his head at him.

"Yeah," said Tancred looking at Jack's inquisitive eyes. "It's easy to be brave when _your_ stomach is full. Do you think the house-elves would mind bringing a late lunch up to the common room? I haven't eaten anything since breakfast!"

The others perked up at the mention of lunch.

"Don't you ever think of something that isn't food?" smiled Lidiya.

"I think about skipping Maths class," said Tancred.

"We skipped Maths!" said Aaron suddenly.

"Yes!" cried Aura jumping from her seat and doing a little dance. "We skipped Maths, we skipped Maths!" She pulled Isabel up with her and continued dancing. "We skipped Maths, we skipped Maths…"

Jack shook his head at his classmates. "Do any of you know how to call a house-elf?"

Aura and Isabel stopped dancing. "No."

"Nein," said Amy.

Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred shook their heads.

"Non," said Zoé.

Jack looked at the remaining students. "Any ideas?"

"Nope."

"No."

There was a stunned silence, then…

"_Dang_."

AVAVAVAVAVA

'_**Jack Riddle is dead,' Eburian government says.**_

_Ebur – A spokesman from the Eburian government announced this morning that Jack Riddle's body was found among the rubble in Downtown Ebur weeks after the Urgal attack. An anonymous witness said Riddle was near one of the buildings that exploded and was buried under the wreckage, along with five people trapped inside the building, including the barman Leander Niagan. No survivors were found._

_He was ten years old and Salazar Slytherin's last direct heir. (For more information see page 6.)_

_Volunteers keep arriving at the site to look for the bodies of those who could not make it out, and to start Downtown Ebur's reconstruction. It is estimated that…_

Minerva slowly folded the newspaper and left it on the table before her. She covered her mouth with her hand, horrified. Jack couldn't be dead, he just couldn't…

'_I failed you, Sam_,' she thought holding back her tears. '_I failed you…_'

Then, on the other hand… Jack was also the Dark Lord's heir. It would be hard for someone of Voldemort's calibre to rise as Dark Lord now that his only child was gone.

'_Why did you have to run away with Tom Riddle, Samantha? Why?_'


	10. After Effects

Note: Hey guys! Trying to make up for the long wait I put you through… sowy heehee

Anywho, thanks a lot for the reviews they were veeeeery appreciated :D

And now I give you an insight on the other side, as to balance the appearances of Jack and Harry, since the fic is about both isn't it? heehee I'm hyper right now… and I'm alone at home, too… hmmmness…

Now, I wanted to say that there are flashbacks inside flashbacks in this chappie, so do tell me if I confuse you so I can explain things to the best of my ability… cheers!

**XxXxX After Effects XxXxX**

_Poppy's POV_

Madame Pomphrey sat by the window of her office in the Hospital Wing, thinking of that day's news. The headline kept swimming around her head:

'_Jack Riddle is dead, Eburian Government says.'_

Just like her colleagues, especially Minerva, she had no idea what to make out of the whole issue and just as it happens… in the end you always start thinking about the beginning…

'_Jack Riddle is dead, Eburian Government says.'_

She remembered the first time she had seen Jack as if it had been yesterday. Laying on the white sheets, ripped brown t-shirt and faded jeans, slightly long black hair, a brown bruise on the left corner of his mouth, his right shoulder soaked in dried blood…

_Flashback_

After much arguing with the Headmaster, Poppy reluctantly agreed to give the boy a check up. She still had not seen the youth, but now knowing who he was she didn't think he would need much of a check up.

"… rich, pampered little prince, no doubt… just like any other Slytherin," she muttered to herself angrily as she made her way to the room Dumbledore said they were keeping _him_ in. "Dark, arrogant, dangerous… I honestly don't know why Dumbledore bothers…"

She stopped before the door and knocked three times. A lock turned on the other side and the door opened to reveal the grim face of Professor Flitwick. "Come on in, Poppy," he said gently. "We were waiting for you."

"We?" asked Poppy curiously.

"Thank you for coming, Poppy," said Dumbledore's voice as she stepped into the room. "Please have a seat."

Poppy blinked at the people gathered in the room as she stepped inside. There were the four Heads of House, the Headmaster, and, for some reason, Hagrid, present in the room. They were sitting in a circle around a Pensieve on a pedestal, and behind them was a bed on which lay a black haired child, facing the opposite way. She sat on the last armchair available while Flitwick locked the door behind him and sat on the armchair next to hers; the one with a stuffier-than-usual cushion on it.

"Before we leave you alone so you can check up on the boy we wanted to get the whole story straight," explained Dumbledore. "Minerva can give us feedback on the past of his parents, Severus can tell us about Voldemort's (flinch) behaviour since the birth of the boy and any potions you require, Pomona can provide you with any herbs you may need, Hagrid found the child so we will be seeing his memory in the Pensieve, and Filius' role will become obvious after we watch the memory."

Poppy blinked again. "All right."

"Hagrid, if you would hand me the memory, please?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Oh, yes, sir," answered Hagrid standing up and feeling his pockets. "I have it right here… somewhere…"

Snape rolled his eyes.

Hagrid started pulling all sorts of things from his pockets and then putting them away in other pockets that were still empty… a rattle, a couple of Knuts, a bolt, an old piece of parchment, dog biscuits, the tip of an arrow…

"Aha!" he cried happily pulling out a thin vial with a silvery substance inside of it. "Here you go, Professor."

"Thank you, Hagrid," replied Dumbledore taking the vial and signalling for everyone to stand up. He uncorked the vial and approached the Pensive to dip the contents of the vial into it. The silver substance swam in circles before an image was visible. "After you," he told his colleagues.

One by one, the Four Heads, Hagrid, Poppy and Dumbledore entered the Pensieve. They were met with the sight of Hagrid walking down a lively street full of shops that were packed with people, children running all over the place being chased by their laughing or worried parents while a band played a cheerful song surrounded by people in the middle of the street. The seven witches and wizards followed the Hagrid in the memory, who was trying to hum the tune of the song but kept getting it wrong. The present time Hagrid blushed furiously.

As the Hagrid in the memory got closer to the crowd listening to the band play, a young boy dressed in khaki robes, no older than eleven, bumped into him. He was pale, very thin, and his slightly long, somewhat wavy jet black hair was tousled.

"Sorry, sir," the boy apologised, looking at him with tired sapphire blue eyes. "I wasn't looking."

"Not ta worry, lad," said Hagrid with a warm smile. "Like the music?"

"Huh?" said the boy while looking around nervously. "Ah, yes… I come here every afternoon."

Hagrid looked worriedly at the lad, who the present day witches and wizards now knew was the Dark Heir. "Are you lost? Where are your parents?"

The effect the statement caused on the boy was fascinating. First the child's face darkened and then he closed his eyes. Then he took a deep breath before looking back at the Hagrid in the memory, but his eyes weren't sapphire anymore. They were green. "I'm not lost," he said casually. "My parents trust me. They let me out of my house as long as I'm back by dinner time."

"Ah, I see," said Hagrid with a nervous smile. He had apparently noticed the change in the eye colour. "Well have a good day then!"

"Likewise," said the Dark Heir turning around and walking away from Hagrid as fast as he could without attracting the attention of passer-bys.

The Hagrid in the memory counted until ten and then turned away from the crowd. He started following the path the Dark Heir had taken. Pretty soon the short figure of the Dark Heir swam into view. Dumbledore and his colleagues left the Hagrid in the memory behind so they could focus on the lad as much as possible. He swept through the crowd expertly until he arrived at a less crowded place where the music was only a faint beat and he slipped into a dark alley. They saw him look behind him before arriving to a halt and tapping a pattern on the brick wall with his middle finger. The wall literally melted away and the boy looked around him once more before entering.

"So that's where he went," said Hagrid.

"Can we follow him, Albus?" asked Sprout.

"For a while, at least," replied Dumbledore walking through the barrier.

They entered a tunnel lighted up by a single torch stuck to a door on the other side. There was light coming from the crack between the door and the floor, and they could see shadows moving.

"Do you have the package?" they heard a male teenager's voice say on the other side of the door.

"Of course I have it," came the annoyed response of the Dark Heir. "Who do you think I am?"

"Excellent," said the teenager. "Good, good… hey!"

"I'm not giving you anything until I get the money, Chad," said the Heir. "I know you… and I'm not stupid."

The teenager, Chad, chuckled. "I know you're not, Gorrión." They heard the jingle of coins. "I wouldn' trust you with this if you were. And you don' have to count… it's all there."

A pause.

"You don' have to look at me with that face y'know?" said Chad slightly alarmed. "You know I wouldn' dare t'cross you…"

The coins jingled again and the door began to open just as the memory became blurry and all seven witches and wizards found themselves back in the room where they started.

"That's it?" asked Sprout with raised eyebrows.

"Hagrid?" said Dumbledore, turning to look at the other man, who was already patting his pockets.

"I have two more… I just have to find 'em," he said looking around him, as if the vials were hidden somewhere in the room.

Snape gave an annoyed sigh.

"That's enough, Severus," said Minerva.

"Are the two vials in the same pocket, Hagrid?" squeaked Flitwick.

"Yes, I think so… eh…" Hagrid's hand plunged deep into one of his front pockets. "Ah! Got 'em! I wasn' sure if the kid that bumped into me was really _him_, so I followed him an' this is what I found."

Snape was about to make a snide comment but the other Heads of House shot him a look and he remained quiet.

"Excellent, Hagrid," said Dumbledore. "Now, into the Pensieve."

Hagrid gave Dumbledore the first vial so Dumbledore could pour it into the stone basin, and they repeated the same process, except this time they didn't land in a cheerful street. It was night time and the only source of light was a street lamp at the other side of the cobblestone road they were standing on. There were rundown houses lining the road and not a single light was visible from them except from one. That's when they saw Hagrid's big figure crouching below the window from which the light was coming. The curtains were drawn but they could see the distorted silhouette of an adult pacing the room.

"Who is that?" asked Poppy.

"I don' know," replied Hagrid. "They didn' say any names. An' the woman calls You-Know-Who's kid _Gorrión_, like the other kid, Chad, did."

"Gorrión?" repeated Snape. "What kind of a name is that?"

"It is not a name," replied Dumbledore leading the way. "It is a kind of small bird. I am guessing Jack got it as a nickname. Poppy, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't a ten year old boy supposed to be a bit bigger than Jack?"

"Now that you mention it, yes," said Poppy with a thoughtful frown. "He's much smaller than this year's first years."

"Quite a contrast to his father," commented Dumbledore. "Voldemort (flinch) was tall at eleven. And Sam Ravine was not short either… so why would their son be so small?"

"Honestly, Headmaster," replied Poppy, "I have no idea… Maybe one of his grandparents had a small body?"

"Can we have this conversation sometime else?" interrupted Snape. "I'm trying to listen to the conversation taking place _in_ the room."

"… let him in," commanded a female voice.

"Yes, Mistress," replied a house-elf.

A door opening and closing, the silhouette stopped moving. A few seconds later they heard a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

"You asked for me, Madame?" It was the Dark Heir's young voice.

"Aha, vous parlez français?"

"Un peu, Madame, oui."

"C'est magnifique. Où est que vous étudiez?"

"Ma mère a enseigné moi, Madame." (Translation at the bottom of the page)

"Amazing…"

"Thank you."

"Now… down to business. I imagined you were older? You are too small."

"So I'm told, Madame." His voice sounded a bit annoyed. "But it gets the job done."

"So it seems, or you would not be so requested by everyone on this part of the city."

A pause.

"Right. I called for you because my employer needs to deliver a package to a partner working in the Black Market. His name is Dionisio and you will find him in the section that sells statues. You do not need to know more. The package is waiting for you at the door and Dionisio will pay you… you are not cheap, boy, so I expect you to carry out the task like clockwork. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal, Madame."

"Excellent… and before you leave… were you not supposed to be in Teirm?"

"I have to keep on the move if I don't want to be caught, Madame. I start rumours as I go."

"Clever boy," commented Flitwick.

Sprout nodded.

"But why Ebur?"

"I… had some personal business to attend to."

The woman laughed. "Look at you… already speaking like a professional. You are not the son of some Mafia lord, are you?"

"If she only knew," commented Poppy dryly.

"No, Madame, I'm afraid not."

"I see. You may leave now."

"Will do, Madame. Au revoir."

"Au revoir… Gorrión. And Godspeed."

"I think we have heard enough," said Dumbledore pulling them out of Hagrid's memory.

"What in the world is that boy into?" asked Minerva slowly to no one in particular once they had landed in the room.

"I do not know, Minerva," muttered Dumbledore gravely while looking at the unconscious boy laying on the bed. "But as soon as he wakes up I intend to find out."

"I did not know he knew French…" said Snape.

"There's still a third memory left, isn't it?" asked Flitwick.

"Yes," replied Hagrid gravely. "And it's the one I like less."

"Let's get this over with," muttered Sprout darkly. "I'm not sure I want to see it but we must."

Dumbledore nodded and without another word poured the contents of the third vial into the Pensieve.

This time it was sunset and they were in the back alley of a building. They saw the Hagrid in the memory peeking through a gap on the wall, with some difficulty since the gap wasn't at his eye level. There were voices at the other side.

"Where ya goin', Gorrión?" mocked a boy's voice.

"Runnin' away, ey?" said a second male voice.

"I'd blame his cowardice on his parents, except he hasn't got 'em," taunted a third male voice.

"Shall we cross the wall?" asked Snape.

"Can we?" said Poppy.

"What do you want, Crow?" snapped Jack.

"Yes we can," replied Dumbledore with his eyes fixed on the wall and walking towards it.

"I want to know where you're goin'," said the first voice.

The staff members and the Headmaster walked through the wall in the memory to see what the Hagrid in the memory was seeing.

"None of your business," snarled Jack.

"None of our business, ey?" said the owner of the second voice: a mousy haired boy with a black tattoo of an eagle on his collarbone.

"Shut your trap, Job!" ordered the boy that looked like the leader, Crow.

Crow was a burly thirteen year old that held back his sandy fringe with a dark green bandana. His blue button down shirt had been ripped of its sleeves to show a thick scar on his right upper arm and an unfinished tattoo on his left forearm. He was standing two meters from Jack and at the moment his glare was directed at Job, who was standing at Jack's right. Behind the Dark Heir and a little to his left stood the third; a brown haired boy carrying a thick pipe, without tattoos on his visible skin but with a black bruise creeping unto his neck. Both brunettes looked younger than Crow but older than Jack. And they had him completely surrounded.

"You've lost your touch, Gorrión," mocked the third boy.

"Meaning, Vlad?" snarled Jack at the third boy while trying to keep an eye on all three.

"Meaning that last year you wouldn' have allowed us to surround you," chuckled Vlad.

"You call this surrounded?" taunted Jack in a disbelieving tone of voice.

"Where's the money, nitwit?" yelled Crow still frowning at Job.

"That your best insult?" laughed Jack.

"You little…" growled Crow. "Get 'im!"

Faster than Poppy expected, the Dark Heir reached out to his back and grabbed a dagger he could defend himself with from Crow's army knife. He jumped away from Crow's path and crashed into Vlad, who had to raise the pipe above their heads to avoid hitting Job's face, who had his fists as his only weapons.

After Jack had crashed into Vlad, the four boys moved so fast it was hard to tell who was winning or who was hitting who. Crow regained his balance and held his knife at a different angle so he could strike again, while Jack grabbed Vlad's pipe with his left hand and pointed his dagger at the other two. He pushed the pipe to the floor, making Vlad lose his grip on it and he took that moment to duck Crow's knife and slash the bigger boy's leg as Jack passed him.

Crow hissed in pain and Job took it as his cue to jump on Jack from behind and squeeze the younger boy's neck with his arms. Far from freaking out at the sudden cut of air supply, Jack rammed his left elbow into Job's stomach repeatedly until the brunette let go, but before Jack could catch his breath Vlad tried to stab him with the pipe, but instead hit the alley wall, giving Jack the perfect opportunity to grasp the pipe again.

Vlad pulled on the pipe, pulling Jack with it and almost making him crash against Crow and Job. Crow sidestepped to the left as Job sidestepped to the right, and Vlad wrenched the pipe from Jack's grasp. Jack stood ready for attack, waiting for one of the other boys to make the first move. Vlad lounged forward with a battle cry swinging the pipe in the air at the same time Job dived for Jack's feet, attempting to trip him. Jack managed to jump out of Job's way but Vlad's pipe hit the left side of his jaw, making Jack fall hard on his back and lose his weapon.

"That's not fair!" cried Minerva

"In street fighting everything's fair, Minnie," sighed Flitwick, who was a duelling champion, as they watched how Job and Vlad pulled Jack to his feet and held him still with the help of the pipe while Crow circled them with his army knife in hand.

"As Vlad said," panted Crow massaging his bleeding leg. "You've lost your touch, Gorrión. This cut you gave me… is nothin' compared to the one you gave me last year," Crow added pointing at the long scar on his right arm. "But then again, it was a one on one fight… I'm never making that same mistake again."

At this point Crow was standing behind Jack, who had stopped struggling against his captors and was staring blankly ahead of him.

"That's because you're a coward," whispered Jack nonchalantly.

At this, the blond boy roared and stabbed the younger boy on his right shoulder. Jack let a cry of pain escape him before biting his lip to stop himself from moaning in pain.

The adults gasped in horror as they saw the thirteen year old add pressure to the knife.

"Where's the money!?" Crow yelled in Jack's ear.

To the adults' surprise, the Dark Heir chuckled darkly.

"I sent it away last night," he gasped. "Why do you think Horus isn't with me?"

Crow pulled the knife out of Jack's shoulder who cried out in surprise. He, Crow, had gone very pale and looked scared out of his mind.

"What do you mean you sent it away?" asked the blond in a trembling voice.

Vlad and Job let Jack go, causing him to tremble a little before regaining his step and facing his enemies, while wiping the blood from the left corner of his mouth to then tend to his right shoulder.

"Just that," answered Jack with a wince. "I sent it away to repay my debt. I'm free."

"You can't be!" cried Job.

"You're bluffing!" agreed Vlad.

Jack winced again. "I swear I'm not. Horus should be back tonight or tomorrow morning. Do you think I started working as an errand boy because it is my life ambition, or something?" He laughed. "I'm free."

Crow clenched and unclenched his fists, a bit stained in Jack's blood and his own, while looking around frantically. "We're not done here yet, Gorrión," he said as steadily as he could. "One day I'll be free, too and then we'll settle the score," Crow vowed.

"Perhaps," muttered Jack. "Perhaps."

Jack lowered his head to feel the wound on his back. To Poppy it didn't look so bad. Crow's knife had missed Jack's right lung. However, that moment of distraction cost Jack the next six months of his life, since Vlad moved in from behind and hit the back of Jack's head with the pipe, making the black haired boy fall unconscious to the ground.

"This is outrageous!" cried Sprout. "How dare they!"

"Those cowards…" muttered Flitwick.

"Are you on the Dark Heir's side, Filius?" asked Snape with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not on anyone's side here, Severus," squeaked Flitwick indignantly. "It's anything but honourable to attack an opponent from behind."

Snape rolled his eyes before focusing his attention on the boys, who were now searching the Dark Heir's pockets.

"He's got nothin' on him," cried Crow angrily kicking the alley wall.

"He must be telling the truth, then," growled Job.

"He always does," said Vlad grimly bending down to pick up Jack's dagger. "He just likes to twist it to fit his needs… you know what a good manipulator he is… so when he tells the truth just the way it should be, no one ever believes him."

His two companions gave him puzzled looks.

Vlad rolled his eyes and threw Jack's dagger at the Dark Heir's feet. "Let's get out of here."

"What, are you crazy?" squeaked Job. "You're giving him back his weapon!"

"I already knocked him out unfairly, Job!" snapped Vlad. "I don't want to owe _him_ anything."

"Enough you two!" snapped Crow. "Let's get out of here before he wakes up."

Job and Vlad glared at each other but followed Crow, nonetheless. Leaving a bleeding Jack Riddle behind.

"And we should get out of here ourselves," said Dumbledore. "There's no more to see here."

"Alright, everyone take a seat," said Dumbledore. "We have now seen all we have on the Dark Heir's past. I did not want to invite anyone from the Ministry because they are desperate to win this war and they would not have taken the necessary measures to handle someone as important as Lord Voldemort's son. As we all know, the Order has known of Jack Riddle's existence for four months now, thanks to Severus here, and we have kept it quiet. Now I would like to know if it is safe to let in the Ministry on the secret and consequently, the public; but before I would like to listen to your assessments. Let's go in chronological order. Minerva, you met the parents when they were students. So did I, but you were Samantha's friend. So please, do tell us about their relationship."

Minerva took a deep breath. "This is going to be very strange…" she began. "Well, I didn't meet Sam Ravine until second year. She stuck mostly to other Ravenclaws and rarely interacted with students from the other Houses. I met her in Charms class, when we were partnered for an assignment.

We kept hanging out after that and somehow we became inseparable." She sighed. "In fifth grade Tom entered our lives. All three of us were made prefects, and sometimes we had to patrol together. Tom wasn't like the other Slytherins… he was nice, civilized, to us, unlike the other Slytherin prefects. He was always able to charm those he needed… always. Sam was no different. He spent more time with her than with anyone else, though Sam never spoke much of it and neither did he… I'd dare to say they became friends, but I don't think they got any closer until seventh year, when they were made Head Boy and Girl, and Sam lost her parents to Grindelwald because they refused to join him.

Her brother, Israel, was fourteen at the time, and so he went to live with his grandmother. But Sam was already off age and she wanted a place of her own before becoming a burden for her grandmother, as she said. So after graduation she and Tom disappeared." She paused to order her memories before continuing. "Sam wrote to me a month later. I don't remember much of what her letter said, but I do remember she was still with Tom and that they were moving out of England; she didn't say to where, though I asked her. After that she rarely wrote until she stopped altogether. That would have been… sixteen or seventeen years ago…"

"The beginning of the Dark Lord's reign," nodded Snape.

"Exactly," agreed Minerva. "I still have her last letter… it sounded… it sounded as if the Dark Lord was after her _and_ Tom. Of course, back then I had no idea that they were the same person… so I got scared. I… would you rather I summoned the letter?" she asked rubbing her eyes.

"Well, not that we don't believe you Minnie," said Poppy. "But some hard evidence would be perfect."

"Yes," said Minerva. "It would… _Accio letter!_"

"How far from here is this letter?" asked Snape with a bored voice, but his eyes were gleaming with interest.

"Not much," replied Minerva. "Filius would you open the door, please?"

"My pleasure," squeaked Flitwick standing up. He went to the door, opened it and stood by, waiting for the aforementioned letter to show up. "Let's hope Peeves hasn't gotten a hold of it," said Flitwick after a while of waiting.

"You said the letter sounded as if You-Know-Who was after them?" asked Sprout.

Minerva nodded. "But if You-Know-Who and Tom Riddle are the same person… then who was after them?"

"Maybe no one was," replied Dumbledore. "Maybe Samantha wrote to you in that fashion because she wanted to take suspicion off them."

Snape gave a single nod of agreement. "If she did then it worked."

"Here it comes!" called Flitwick, as the old sheet of parchment zoomed closer to the room. McGonagall caught it and handed it to Dumbledore, who opened it and started reading after Flitwick had closed the door and sat down again.

_Dear Minnie,_

_You are not going to believe where I'm writing this. But before I go into that I want to say I'm sorry for not writing a single letter for… how long has it been? 5 months? Yep, Tom just confirmed it. And yes, I'm still with him. You see, Eddie died five months ago… our enemies killed him, and since then we've been cut off from the world for fear of our hiding places being discovered, but we're moving again tomorrow night so even if the letter is intercepted no one would be able to find us. God, we can't remain in one place for more than one week! And if we Apparate our magical signatures would be detected and we would be found out…_

_Things have changed a lot in these five months… now that Eddie isn't here Cineris, Diego, Tom and I have been more careful with whom we talk to and where we go… Minnie, I don't know what we got into… we haven't had an easy day since Tom accepted that bloody rock. I won't tell you more because if I do you might get involved and then your life will turn into a nightmare… just like it happened to us. Right now I'm behind the false wall of a warehouse a few blocks away from one of the enemy's headquarters. As you see we're trying to cross behind enemy lines. It's our desperate break for freedom… if we manage to get out of here tomorrow then we'll probably be able to get out of the country we're hiding in at the moment and leave our enemies behind._

_I'm so scared Minnie… scared of our lives, scared for our lives, scared of our enemies, scared for and of Tom… and I'm so confused! I no longer know what's good and what's bad… just picture this; I can't call our enemies evil and I no longer know if Tom's good or bad. The other day he came back soaked in blood that wasn't his, and the day after that he came back with a bullet wound on his right shoulder and cuts made by the Sectusempra curse. Considering our circumstances, I don't know if he was defending himself or if he was the first to attack, so I can't really tell him anything. Although, when one of our information sources told us that separated we would have a better chance at survival he refused point-blank to abandon me. As I said, I don't know what we got into and apparently neither does he._

_It's been two hours since I wrote those paragraphs up there. It's just… I'm still laughing about it… Cineris, being the idiot he is, drank a whole bottle of liquid soap before realizing what he was doing. His excuse is that he was way too thirsty and that he grabbed the first liquid thing he saw. I haven't seen Tom and Diego laugh like that in eons, Minnie… I hadn't even seen them smile since Eddie's death. Oh, Minnie, I want to tell you so much… now Tom's refusing to drink a bottle of liquid soap 'cause Cineris dared him to… he says being a human bubble blower isn't his life ambition haha and Diego is too close to the window… he might fall, he's laughing so much… but I'm digressing now. I don't know what I'd do without those three, honestly._

_Minnie I have to go now. I'm sorry, but I just can't write anymore… they're coming._

_Love,_

_Sam_

A tap on the door pulled Madame Pomphrey out of her memories.

"Poppy are you there?" said Minerva McGonagall from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Minerva, do come in," Poppy called.

"Oh, hello Poppy," she greeted opening the door. "I just had to tell you that Albus is calling for a general staff meeting in half an hour to discuss this morning's news."

"Alright, I'll be there," replied Poppy. "I just have to… er…"

Minerva closed the door behind her. "What's bothering you, Poppy? Aside from… well, today's news."

"It's the past," confessed Poppy with a sigh. "All the mystery behind You-Know-Who and his Heir… I was remembering what Sam's last letter said, and… as much as I want to, I just can't make a connection between the behaviour of the parents and… and the scars I saw on Jack's body when I gave him the first check up."

"You mean the ones on his back?" questioned McGonagall.

"Yes," replied Poppy. "The ones we assumed had been given to him by his father, though Jack kept saying that his father had never hurt him and that we would never believe the truth. I guess… no, _I know_ that I don't want to believe that You-Know-Who was not as evil as we thought he was."

"But he was evil, Poppy," replied McGonagall. "He just… he went bad. Even when we were studying together here at Hogwarts I knew there was something about him. I was always unnerved by how polite and kind he was to everyone. Everyone except Dumbledore, that is. He… someone who can kill in cold blood and feel no remorse afterwards is evil. Tom Riddle was such a man."

_Dumbledore's POV_

Dumbledore sighed and rubbed his temples, thinking back to the first time he heard that Tom Riddle had had a child with one of his favourite students.

Flashback

"Severus, what is your report?" inquired Dumbledore.

"Yeah, what did your slimy master tell you?" taunted Sirius.

"Sirius, please," said Dumbledore before Snape could retaliate. "There will be no hostile comments in this room directed to any of our members."

Sirius smirked at Snape and leaned back on his chair while Snape was unable to take his glaring eyes off him.

"Severus," continued Dumbledore. "Please, proceed."

"Fine," growled Snape standing up and finally taking his eyes off Sirius' gloating face. "I have grave news. News of an utmost importance."

The Order members leaned in with serious and worried expressions on their faces depending on the experience of each.

"Go on," prompted Dumbledore with a worried glint in his eyes.

Severus sighed. He was going to enjoy this so much. "I recently found out through a slip of Rabastan's that the Dark Lord…" he made a dramatic pause, silently savouring the tension in the room. "… that the Dark Lord has a son..."

The Order members' faces fell and some exchanged unbelieving glances.

"… and he is lost."

"What do you mean _lost_!?" cried James Potter from his seat between Sirius and his wife, who had her hands over her mouth.

"Just that, Potter," sneered Snape. "The Dark Lord has no idea of where his son might be."

"B-but…" stammered Hestia Jones. "_You-Know-Who?_ a-a… _a son?_"

"How old is the poor creature?" asked a horrified Alice Longbottom, whose husband had been tortured into insanity by the Lestranges.

"Apparently, he's still a child," replied Severus with a raised eyebrow. Oh, how he hated sentimental Gryffindors. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, too… well perhaps not Ravenclaws.

"Apparently?"

"When did he get lost?"

"When did you hear about this?"

"How come You-Know-Who doesn't know where the kid is?"

"What's his name?"

"Enough!" called Dumbledore over the racket the Order was making. "One question at a time, please."

"But Dumbledore!" cried Sirius with dismay. "A son? How did that happen? After all, you need two to make a child."

"Yeah," agreed James with a similar expression to that of his best friend's. "I mean… when did he find the time to…"

"Severus," interrupted McGonagall urgently before James could finish voicing the question that was in everyone's subconscious. "Do you know if the mother, perchance, is a blond woman? Grey eyes, pearly skin, slim and tall, not a pureblood?"

Everyone turned to Minerva frowning at the amount of information she knew, and Snape raised an eyebrow. "Well, she _was_," he replied dryly. "It seems she got shot by a Muggle sniper. Why?"

Minerva gasped and slowly leaned back on her armchair, where she remained in a kind of trance. Pomona Sprout, who was sitting beside her, grasped her hand and rubbed it, but Minerva did not respond.

"Minerva?" called Dumbledore gently. "Is there anything we should know?"

Minerva's jaw quivered when she tried to speak, and she had to swallow and close her eyes for half a minute before she managed to compose herself. "I…" she swallowed again. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"It's all right, Minnie," assured Alkdilien Black gently, who had not so long ago given birth to her third child. "Take your time."

Minerva shook her head slowly. "I know… _knew_ her. The boy's mother."

"But how? That's not… possible…" said Remus. "Is it?"

Minerva wiped a single tear on her right cheek. "Her name was Samantha Ravine. She was in Ravenclaw."

"Did you just say _Ravine_?" said Flitwick, his eyes like saucers.

"Yes," replied Minerva.

"_The _Samantha Ravine?" squeaked Flitwick more to himself than to anyone else. "She was my best student ever. Head Girl in her time. How could she end up… like she did?" he cried a bit scandalized.

"She mixed with the wrong sort," growled Moody from the opposite end of the table. "Listen, I have no idea of who this woman was and neither do I care. I want to know about the Dark Lord's brat!"

"But, Alastor, you should care," said Dumbledore grimly. "If Voldemort (flinch) actually had a child with Samantha Ravine, then we are going to have big trouble in the future. As we all know Voldemort (flinch) is Salazar Slytherin's last heir. What is not known to many is that Samantha Ravine was Rowena Ravenclaw's last heir," the Order gasped as one while he paused to decide what would be the best approach. He chose the direct one. "Their child would be a double heir."

"A double heir, Albus?" asked a pale Lily Potter. "But that would make him…"

"More powerful than Voldemort himself," finished Remus weakly, while some members of the Order swayed in their seats.

"Exactly," agreed Dumbledore, his face darkening. "This is why finding the boy and bringing him back to the right path has become our first priority. I do not sympathize with the idea of separating a child from its parents, but if we allow them to be together in this particular case I'm afraid the consequences would be much too disastrous for anyone to bear."

End Flashback

Dumbledore rubbed his temples. Could he judge the result of the separation of Jack from his parents as successful then? No. Jack was dead. The death of a child was never good news, and he had no way of knowing if the separation had ultimately caused Voldemort's death.

He stood up and walked to Fawkes's perch. The beautiful fire bird looked at him with a round black eye and a question on its gaze. "I don't know what's wrong with me Fawkes," he told the phoenix while stroking its feathers. "Each time I try to help someone I end up hurting someone else who wasn't intended to be hurt. What am I supposed to do? I want to help everyone and…" he sighed. "Ah, why should I trouble you with this, my old friend?"

There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," called Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore," greeted Snape followed by Flitwick and Sinistra. "I hope this meeting is not about the Weasley twins and the caretaker again," he added with a raised eyebrow. (A/N: Cheers, Carrie!)

"No, not this one," smiled Dumbledore. "But we should have a meeting about what we are going to do with those two. Argus can not stop complaining."

_Harry's POV_

It was October now. Harry hadn't uncovered any new information on the three-headed dog case, mainly because he was so busy with Quidditch practice three times a week under no other than _the_ Oliver Wood, who insisted in not telling anyone about Harry being Gryffindor's new Seeker since he saw Harry as some sort of secret weapon.

Yes...

He was obsessed.

It was after one of these insane practices that Dumbledore dropped a bomb on them while they were finishing their dinner.

_The Dark Heir was dead._

There hadn't been any kind of collective cheer as there had been after Voldemort's death. No one had known of Jack Riddle's existence until February of that same year, and he had only been a kid, so no one knew how to react to the news of his death. There were whispers around the school that they were better off without him, because most believed that, had Jack reached adulthood, he would have continued his father's reign of terror and would have probably been as unstoppable as his predecessor had been. Yes, they were better off without him. But they were whispers.

Harry didn't know what to make out of it either, but Ron looked far more relaxed now and so did Neville. Actually, every student from the younger years that wasn't a Slytherin looked relieved. Kristy had even met the young Riddle, however briefly, but because of that Harry felt a strange link to the Heir. He made a mental note to ask Kristy about her meeting with him in his next letter to her.

Harry also noticed that the teachers looked shaken, especially his Head of House. McGonagall was very pale and seemed to be living in another dimension, something that had never happened to the strict Transfiguration teacher before. And then there was Dumbledore. In all the years he had known the ancient headmaster, he had never seen him so quiet. What was it about Jack Riddle that caused so much impact on everyone?

AVAVAVAVAVA

_Translation_

"Aha, vous parlez français?"

_(Aha, you speak French?)_

"Un peu, Madame, oui."

_(A little, Madame, yes.)_

"C'est magnifique. Où est que vous étudiez?"

_(That's fantastic. Where is it that you study?)_

"Ma mère a enseigné moi, Madame."

_(My mother taught me, Madame.)_


	11. Of Vampire Tales

Note: Wuw! It took me forever to complete this first part of the chapter… it's the longest yet (7604 words!!!) for some reason it's been the hardest to write yet… so well, enjoy and leave a review if you have the time : P make an author happy! LOL!

**Chapter 11 – Part One**

**Vampire Tales and Werewolf Trails**

The day following Desmond Tiny's arrival, Horus dropped a white envelope on Jack's empty plate. Jack had been lost in thought, trying to decipher the meaning of Desmond Tiny's warning, and had lost track of his surroundings. He had been thinking about his words all night, hardly getting any sleep, and even then he had gotten nowhere.

It was frustrating for him to know that only a few months ago he could have dealt with anything because his instinct of survival had been working at its maximum, but now that he didn't depend on his skills to survive he had let his guard down and wasn't ready to face a mystery.

'I'm so stupid,' he thought glassy eyed. 'I can't believe I can't make sense of the stupid warning.' He thought someone was calling him… but he shunned it out. He had important things to think about.

"Jack, mate! Wake up!" called a voice.

"Earth to Jack!" called one of his companions waving a hand before his eyes, but Jack only frowned.

"Jack!" called another one. Snapping his fingers before Jack's nose "React, mate! Your falcon brought a letter."

Jack jumped a little before focusing on the orange haired boy before him. "Sorry," he said drowsily. "Didn't sleep well last night… what were you telling me?"

"I said that Horus brought you a letter," repeated Kenichi patiently. "And there's something in today's news that you have to see."

"What is it?" asked Jack in a tired tone grabbing the envelope and offering Tancred's bacon to Horus.

"Hey, that's mine," whined Tancred, but Jack paid him no heed.

"Here," said Ralph with a grim expression on his face, passing _The Oracle_, Arx Crystallus newspaper, to Jack.

Jack sighed and took the folded paper. On the first page was the picture of witches and wizards running around Downtown Ebur, repairing things and removing the rubble. Jack looked up at his friends.

"Guys, the attack to Downtown Ebur was almost a month ago," he said. "I know it's my country and all, but Downtown Ebur was a huge place. It's still going to take a couple of months more before all of the debris is gone and it starts being reconstructed."

"Read the headline," instructed Kenichi.

Jack looked suspiciously at his three friends and unfolded the newspaper. What he saw paralyzed him.

'Jack Riddle is dead,' Eburian government says.

Jack's lips were slightly parted and he could feel his friends' inquisitive gazes. It wouldn't be long before the whole school knew about it.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, not expecting an answer. Horus, though, chirped and rubbed his beak against the hand Jack was using to hold the envelope he had gotten that morning, and then looked meaningfully at his master.

"What's up, Horus?" asked Jack.

The silver Gyr falcon rubbed his beak against Jack's hand with more insistence.

"I think he wants you to open the letter," said Tancred before claiming the last pieces of bacon for himself with a triumphant smirk.

Jack blinked and broke the red wax seal. He pulled out a piece of parchment and unfolded it. He recognized the calligraphy right away as Andor's and gasped a little.

"Who is it from?" asked Ralph taking back the newspaper.

"A friend," answered Jack absentmindedly, beginning to read.

_Jack,_

_Why on God's green Earth did you take so long to write, boy? You're lucky I'm not your guardian, or I swear I… well, never mind. You might have already noticed that The Oracle, just as many newspapers around the magical world, are proclaiming you dead. I assure you there is a reason behind it and I will be able to explain, but not now. It's not safe. I also have a theory on what could have caused the changes you're going through… but from my point of view, they're more beneficial than damaging._

_Concerning the search for the people you requested, I must tell you I know the whereabouts of some. After your father's death everything just went downhill, so it took me a while to find their addresses. I can tell you for sure that Chantal's safe, as is Audrey and your godfather, though they are in constant movement. I don't know where Diego is and I haven't started the search for the people you met in your… ahem, absence._

_Now, pay attention. I'm going to fire call you at 2:00 AM sharp, in the Main Common Room. We will be able to speak untracked for about fifteen minutes; after that, whether we are done speaking or not, I'm leaving. If you are going to bring someone, make sure it is someone you trust with your life, that's how serious this is. I will explain what is happening in the news and my theory then._

_Godspeed,_

_A. Grigio_

"Tonight's a full moon," commented Tancred, making Jack look up.

"And what are you going to do?" asked Kenichi.

"Grow lots of fur and teeth," answered Ralph earning a dirty look from Tancred. "Among other things," added Ralph with a teasing smirk.

"Knock it off," sighed Jack, putting the letter in his pocket. "I have to talk to you about something."

"Shoot," said Tancred.

"With a silver bullet," added Ralph.

"Ralph!" said Kenichi with a tired sigh and running his hand through his orange hair. "Leave him alone."

"May I speak?" said Jack patiently. The three boys nodded. "Alright," he continued. "The friend who sent me the letter says he can explain why the news are saying I'm dead… and why I haven't broken any bones trying to ride Ayax," he added bitterly. "He'll fire call me at 2:00 AM in the Main common room, but I can't keep an eye on all eight doors myself. I wanted to ask for your help."

"Jack," said Tancred. "It's the full moon tonight… I can't help you."

"No," agreed Kenichi. "It's against the rules, but Ralph and I can help. Why so much secrecy, Jack?"

Jack studied his friend's curious face before answering. "I don't know. My friend said it wouldn't be safe to talk through a letter."

"Sure, we'll help," said Ralph. "But we'll only have to watch seven doors. The eight years are leaving this afternoon."

"Where to?" asked Kenichi.

"Well, my brother told me they're going to Isla de Pascua first," replied Ralph. "Then they're going to the old Inca Empire in Peru, then the Mayan Empire in the south of Mexico, so they can then jump to Hawaii and from there to Ontario. They'll be back before Christmas, so they can leave for Europe after New Year and the celebration, and all, and then they'll go to…"

"How does Manfred know all this?" cut Jack with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't really know," answered Ralph. "Are you going to eat or not, Jack?"

**AVAVAVAVA**

The four friends got through their classes that day without speaking much. Just as predicted, after breakfast the Ingoldstadt students were staring quizzically at Jack, or at least the ones that already knew his name. The ones who didn't learnt his name that morning, anyway. It didn't help that Desmond Tiny wouldn't be leaving until the day after and he kept bumping into Jack and his friends with a chilling smile on his face. The fact that Mr. Tiny looked at Tancred as if he wanted to eat the werewolf did not go unnoticed by the four friends, either.

Only one dared to confront Jack.

"What's this I hear about you being dead?" asked Shancus Von standing between Billy and Tancred during dinnertime.

"Well the guy who died must be another Jack Riddle," replied Jack evasively.

"You know it's not," replied Shancus with a knowing smile and returning to his table.

"Guys I feel sick," stated Tancred once Shancus was out of earshot.

"It's just a few hours till midnight," observed Kenichi.

"What's going to happen to you?" asked Jack.

"Professor Rego said that I should go to her office right before curfew with the other five werewolves," explained Tancred. "She said that we could be left free in the forest 'cause everyone on the island knows it's werewolf night tonight, so no one will be out."

"It's always the same drill," said Billy munching on a loaf of bread. "Once a month the students who are werewolves go outside while everyone else stays indoors. No one's ever been attacked, so that's the way it's stayed for years."

"Why don't they use Wolfsbane?" asked Ralph.

"I don't know," replied the tiny Albino. "The school's weird that way."

They got through the rest of the meal ignoring the other students' stares and going through what they had learnt in class that day, which eventually led them into a heated debate about whether soap was magical or not.

"Tancred there's nothing magical about soap," repeated Jack slowly for the umpteenth time in five minutes.

"Yes there is," argued the werewolf. "It's a cleaning agent!"

"That's not magical in any way, stupid," snapped Ralph rubbing his temples.

"It makes bubbles," insisted Tancred.

"Crap," sighed Kenichi.

"And it slips from your hands!" giggled Billy.

"Yes, that's it, Billy!" cried Tancred happily at having found an ally. "It causes people to slip!"

"Torrson…" growled Ralph.

"It's responsible for the 70 of accidents in the bathroom!"

"Whoa, and I thought I was weird," said Sven the Norwegian werewolf approaching their table. "Tancred, Rego moved the schedule. I'm supposed to take you to her office now."

"Ah well," said Tancred sighing dramatically. "Bye guys… good luck tonight and I'll see you in the morning."

"Cheers, my furry friend," said Ralph at Tancred's retreating back.

Tancred didn't even bother to turn around.

Jack frowned suspiciously. Why would have Rego moved the schedule?

"So…" said Kenichi with his hands on the table. "Do you want to stay awake until two or do you want to sleep?"

"I don't think I'll be able to sleep with all the werewolves howling," stated Ralph.

"We stay awake then," said Jack.

"What are you talking about?" asked Billy.

Jack beckoned Billy closer to him. "A friend of mine is going to contact me," explained Jack in a whisper. "No one except you three and Tancred know about it, so hush."

"Is it about today's news?" asked Billy with a curious glint in his eye.

Jack nodded. "I'll fill you in along with Tancred tomorrow during breakfast. I know that you can't enter the Common Rooms at night, otherwise I'd tell you to come with us."

Billy sighed, disappointed. "I know, Jack." He sighed again. "Why do you think Tancred left so early? It's only starting to get dark and they won't transform until midnight."

"Maybe they need to welcome him into the pack?" suggested Kenichi.

"Maybe…" repeated Jack with a thoughtful frown. "Maybe… it's just, I don't know… something feels wrong."

"What do you mean?" asked Kenichi.

"I don't know… Did you notice how Mr. Tiny was looking at him today?" said Jack. "It was as if he knew something would happen to him that no one else knew about…"

"You're being paranoid, cousin," replied Ralph. "It's your Dark Heir status."

"What's that got to do with anything?" asked Jack narrowing his eyes.

Headmaster Taue, who stood up that moment, interrupted their conversation and the noise in the Hall.

"Everyone," he called. "Tonight is the first full moon of the school year and we have a new werewolf in our midst. To the new ones, do not be alarmed when you hear howls past midnight; we have had werewolves among us from the very beginning of Ingoldstadt and no one has ever being harmed. As you noticed this afternoon, our oldest students have left, so should you require help of any kind, feel free to bother the seventh years. On another note, it is imperative that you overlook this morning's news with regards to our very own Jack Riddle."

At this, the whole student body exchanged confused glances and switched their gazes from Taue to Jack, and back again, trying to make sense of the order they had just been given, while Jack returned the stares evenly and made his best to ignore the stares that bored into the back of his head.

"I assure you there is an explanation," continued Taue. "Meanwhile I would appreciate it if you left Mr. Riddle alone. He knows no more than you do, so you will ask him nothing. I will also appreciate it if you refrained from contacting anyone with information on Mr. Riddle's whereabouts. If you have been in Ingoldstadt for some time, you must know that everything will explain itself eventually. If you are new then start getting used to the secrecy. That is all for now. Curfew is at ten. Scram."

"Ok guys," said Ralph. "We have an hour until curfew. So what do we do?"

"Library," replied Jack. "I want to know why nothing in this school makes sense."

Before his friends could reply, Jack stood up and mingled with the flow of students, sensing his three friends at his heels. The four got separated from the rest when it became clear that everyone was going to the common rooms or somewhere in the upper levels. Jack spotted the entrance to the library at the end of the corridor and made his way towards it.

Finding a secluded corner, he beckoned his friends and flopped down on a cushion.

Ralph flopped down in front of him. "Are you mad? What doesn't make sense?"

"Nothing does, that's what," grimaced Jack.

"Example?" prodded Kenichi sitting at Jack's right.

"Why did Tancred leave so early? How come Taue's told the students to ignore this morning's news? Why so much secrecy? What's Desmond Tiny's interest in new Ingoldstadt students? And why on Earth is Ingoldstadt a secret to begin with?" muttered Jack with two fingers on his right temple. He had almost asked why did Ingoldstadt's Headmaster know about the Keystones.

The three rounded on Billy, who had been living in Ingoldstadt almost his entire life.

"Don't look at me," said the tiny Albino. "I spend most of my time in the village in Arx Crystallus. This is the first year I've stayed in the castle every day."

"There's a village here?" asked Kenichi.

"That's not the point!" snapped Jack.

"We can't answer any of those questions anyway," sighed Ralph closing his eyes and rubbing them tiredly. "We've only been here for a month. Not even my brother can answer them… I doubt even the eight years can."

"Yeah," agreed Kenichi watching Jack sink into his seat. "I bet only Taue or Rego can answer."

Jack blew his hair out of his eyes. "Right. Sorry I snapped at you, Kenichi. It's just I can't understand why the public is being told I'm dead, and then Taue tells the students to ignore it, and then the students follow the order without questions."

"Must be harsh," said a voice they had never heard before.

The four jumped at the sound. Leaning on a bookshelf was a man in his late thirties at the least, his light brown hair graying and his face already starting to wrinkle. Billy smiled at him.

"Hey, Mac! You scared us!" said Billy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," said the man straightening up. "Where are my manners? My name's Mac McCauley. I'm the caretaker."

"Mac McCauley?" asked Ralph with a smirk.

"Yes," said Mac through his teeth. "Everyone likes making jokes about it."

"You just can't hit it off well with anyone, can you?" Jack asked his cousin conversationally.

Ralph scoffed at him and sank in his seat.

Jack rolled his eyes and faced Mac. "I'm Jack. This is Kenichi, and the sulking one's my cousin… kinda…. His name's Ralph. Nice to meet you," he added offering a hand.

Mac smiled and shook it. "My pleasure, Mr. Jack… you have a very strong grip."

Jack looked confused. "… thanks?"

Mac chuckled. "So what are you boys doing here so late? Not workaholics, are you?"

Kenichi glanced at Ralph who was still sulking in his seat. "Well… no…"

"Maybe you can help us," cut Billy suddenly. "You've been here for a long time, haven't you, Mac?" he asked the caretaker.

Mac squared his shoulders proudly. "From the very first day that Taue became Headmaster."

"So you must know everything that has happened in Ingoldstadt since then!" smiled Jack catching on to what Billy was doing. Ralph lifted his head.

"Most of," replied Mac leaning on the bookshelf again. "Why?"

"Has Headmaster Taue given senseless orders before?" asked Jack without bothering to answer Mac's question.

"You mean like the one he just issued about disregarding the paper?" asked Mac. The four boys nodded. "Sure… thousands of times before. The newspapers blacken people's names, twist the truth, hide it, or outright lie. The Headmaster must know something that the public doesn't, and here, Taue's word is law."

Jack accepted Mac's words meekly. He doubted Mac knew anything else... because… how close could the caretaker be to Ingoldstadt's head?

"… law unless Mr. Tiny's here," continued the caretaker, oblivious to the boys' reactions. "That man creeps me out bad."

"What's he still doing here?" asked Billy. "He's never lasted this long."

"Billy, my friend," said Mac, eyes shifting. "You know I try to stay away from that… that… monster… as much as I can. Why he's still here is none of my business and I'm happy that way. I mean… Ignorance is bliss, isn't it?"

"I suppose," muttered Jack, not convinced.

There was an uncomfortable silence until Kenichi spoke.

"Mac, why did the werewolves leave so early?"

"Professor Rego said there was a new pack member," replied the caretaker evasively. "Now go to your common room. I have cleaning to do."

"But, Mac-" started Billy.

"No, Billy," said the man. "It's getting late and I want to sleep, too. Go to bed. All of you."

It was amidst protests that Mac pushed the four boys through the library's main doors and closed them with a quick "G'night!" before locking them.

"What the…" said Ralph staring open mouthed at the door.

"Hmph… that went well," grumbled Kenichi sarcastically.

Billy knocked repetitively on the door. "Mac! Mac! You can't close the library's doors! They're supposed to stay open 24/7! Mac!"

"It's worthless, guys," sighed Jack. "He knows something." He grimaced. "And he won't tell us anything about it."

Ralph made a face. "What do you reckon he doesn't want to tell us?"

"And how are we supposed to know that?" said Kenichi with a quirked eyebrow.

"It was a rhetorical question," grumbled Ralph.

Jack rolled his eyes. "It's a lost battle, people. Let's go."

The four boys left the library behind in silence. They were silent when they dropped Billy off in his guest room. They were silent when they ascended the stairs. They were silent as they walked through the curved corridor that led to the first years' common room. And they were silent when they entered their common room to find their peers awake. Thinking, however, about what their new acquaintance had told them. Headmaster Taue was deep into secrecy, and he knew something that no one was being told.

_But what?_

**AVAVAVAVA**

"This day should be made a holiday," stated Ron for the umpteenth time.

Harry rubbed his eyes at his friend's insistence. He knew that Ron was happy that Riddle was gone, but making the day of his death a holiday was taking it to the extreme. Ron, however, was rather proud of his idea, and he would repeat it to anyone who would like to hear it. Currently, it was Ernie McMillan from Hufflepuff.

"I know," Ernie was saying. "Just imagine that Dark kid continuing You-Know-Who's reign!"

"My brothers, Fred and George, and their friend Lee fought him when he was in Hogwarts, last semester," Ron told Ernie, puffing up his chest.

"No way!" cried Hannah Abbot who had just walked in on the conversation.

Harry sighed and proceeded to eat his bacon. He had heard the story before, as well.

"How could they do that?" asked Ernie with awe. "They must have been so brave!"

"Yeah," said Ron. "They said he was vicious!" Ernie and Hannah were looking eagerly at Ron. "They said his eyes turned this weird red colour and then he started speaking in Parseltongue-" Ernie and Hannah gasped. "… and then he set them on fire… _wandlessly!_"

"And are they ok?" asked a worried Hannah.

"Yeah, they're fine," said Ron with a smirk. "Professor Dumbledore arrived before any real damage was done. But they did kick the snake's ass before Professor Dumbledore rescued them."

"Wow," said Ernie with awe. "Your brothers and their friend just became my new idols."

"I know!" agreed Hannah. "This day should definitely be made a holiday."

"Bit weird if we had a holiday on the 30th and then Halloween on the 31st, don't you think?" asked Harry examining a sausage he had stabbed with his fork.

"You got anything against holidays, Potter?" asked Ron playfully grabbing his fork a well.

"Well I do," announced Hermione, plopping down on the seat beside Harry's, and beckoning Neville to do the same. "It interferes with my learning."

"Who invited you to seat here?" grimaced Ron and making Neville stop in mid-plop.

"I think it's time for us to leave," said Hannah. "C'mon, Ernie," she added pulling on his sleeve.

Ernie allowed her to drive him away but called back, "My regards to your brothers, Weasley!"

"What about your brothers?" asked Hermione.

"None of your business," said Ron rounding on her. "Why are you so interfering?"

Harry rolled his eyes at his friend and turned to Hermione. "Don't mind him," he told her.

Ron turned on Harry and pointed at him with his fork. "You traitor!"

"Whatever, Ron," said Harry offhandedly looking at his wristwatch. He knew when Ron was truly angry, and this was not it. "I got to write and send Kristy a letter before classes start. You coming?"

Ron crossed his arms moodily and didn't answer.

Harry sighed. "Your loss." He stood up and was about to walk away when both Ron and Hermione stopped him.

"Wait! I'm coming!" said both at the exact same time and then glared at each other.

"Are you trying to steal my best friend?" asked Ron as his ears turned pink.

Harry slapped his forehead as Hermione answered. "Of course not! Best friends can't be stolen, you dimwit!"

Neville seemed to shrink in his seat as the pair started to argue. Harry sniggered.

"C'mon, Neville," said Harry. "Let's leave the lovebirds to themselves."

The arguing couple flushed and turned on Harry, denying everything related to the word 'lovebirds'.

Harry laughed. "See, Neville? They even think alike now!"

Hemione turned away from him with a pout and Ron glared at him.

"Good," said Harry starting to walk away. "I got you to stop bickering. Now let's go or we're going to be late for classes."

The three youths followed him without speaking. Ron and Hermione didn't even look at each other, and did their best to keep Neville between them.

They reached the doors of the Great Hall and Harry held them open for his friends. They jogged to the owlery and before they arrived Harry slowed down a bit and pulled a quill, ink and parchment out of his school bag. Ron sauntered into the owlery without bothering to open the door for Hermione, which made her huff in indignation, but she didn't say anything about it. Neville followed her meekly and Harry entered last.

"What are you going to write to her about?" asked Ron eyeing the owls and trying to avoid the owl droppings on the floor, which turned out to be a complete failure.

"It's Halloween tomorrow. I'm going to write to my parents, too, now that I think about it," replied Harry starting to write. "You should write to your family yourself," he added making a point by brandishing his quill in Ron's direction.

"Who's the 'her' you're talking about, Harry?" asked Hermione leaning on one of the windows.

Ron stopped searching his bag for writing tools to snap at her but Harry sent him a warning glance. The redheaded boy huffed and kept looking for ink.

"She's my godfather's oldest daughter. Her name's Kristy," Harry replied going back to his letter. "We grew up together."

He vaguely noticed how Ron finally sat cross-legged on the floor and then yelped in surprise when he remembered the floor was covered in owl droppings. Harry smirked and heard Hermione make an '_eew_' sound. He shook his head and went back to writing.

After a few minutes he came up with something half decent.

_Dear Kristy,_

_Hey! This is Harry writing, though you probably figured that out already. Just wanted to know how you were doing. Well… not really. I mean, yes, of course I want to know how you're doing but I also wanted to know something else. Did you see the news? The Dark Heir died can you believe that? I don't know whether to buy it or not. I don't think that him being in Downtown Ebur at the time of the attack was a coincidence, but then again, I'm nuts._

_Anyway, I wanted to ask you about the time you met him. It's just I get this weird feeling that he's still alive. Like when my scar hurts, remember I told you about that? Sounds like I'm going mad, doesn't it? Don't you have the same feeling? Am I asking too much questions? I am aren't I? I should stop, shouldn't I? Ok, I'll quit it now._

_I also wanted to say, Happy Halloween! Or pre-Halloween if this letter reached you before the 31st. Gotta go now, got classes. I'll write again soon!_

_Love,_

_Harry_

_P.S. Ron insists that today should be a holiday. Do you think madness is like a disease that you can catch if you spend too much time with someone who's mad?_

**AVAVAVAVA**

Jack sat glassy eyed in front of the fire of the first year's common room. He detested having to wait for news without having something else to do while waiting. But then again, sometimes he grew so nervous while waiting that even if he had something to do he would be too distracted to actually do it. He detested waiting for news. Plain and simple.

It was one AM already, which meant that it was Halloween now, and that the werewolves had been running around freely for an hour. The howling of so many had unnerved him at first, but after the first fifteen minutes he had been able to relax. Ralph had gone to his room to fetch a book and was currently curled up in a corner, reading his eyes off. Kenichi had even dozed off in his seat by the fire.

Jack blinked and his glassy stare was gone. He stretched out lazily and sighed. Maybe they should move to the Main Common Room now? He knew that the older students who were loaded with work at the end of every month would be awake, but hopefully they would all be in their respective common rooms. Watching them work so late into the night and morning made him a little nervous, mostly because he knew that one day it would be him with the monumental workload, and that wasn't something he was looking forward to.

Ralph yawned. "What time is it?" he asked drowsily.

Jack checked his wristwatch. "One, ten," he replied. He sighed heavily. "Why did he have to choose two in the morning to meet? Why?" complained Jack.

Ralph shrugged. "You have weird friends."

Jack gave him a look. "You do realize that you fall into that category, don't you?"

Ralph looked thoughtful. "Yeah… guess I'm weird, then…"

Jack snorted softly. "Most definitely."

The hazel-eyed boy closed his book and spared Kenichi a glance. "That Magi ever gonna wake up?"

A werewolf howled.

Jack stared at the enchanted window. And they should be enchanted because none of the common rooms was attached to one of the castle's outer walls "The only way to wake him up is if you make him hover by his ankle. Trust me… I've tried everything."

"No you haven't," came Kenichi's drowsy voice. "I'm awake, see?"

"That's new," commented the Dark Heir stretching out again.

"You guys wanna play 'Liar'?" asked Ralph suddenly.

"Play what?" asked Kenichi rubbing his eyes.

"'Liar'," repeated Jack. "It's a card game."

The half-Magi sat up. "How do you play it?"

Ralph turned to his cousin. "You played before?" he asked, and when the other boy nodded he added. "Then you tell him how it's played… I'll go get my deck of cards."

"We're going to play cards?" asked Kenichi raising his eyebrows. "At this hour?"

Ralph waved his hand nonchalantly and entered his room. Jack shrugged. "It's not like we have something better to do until two…"

"Right," said Kenichi. "So… how's it played?"

Jack sat up. "Ok… so all of the cards are split according to the number of players and each player gets their part. Then all of the players look at their cards and the first player sets down a card facing down and says 'Ace'. Now, the card might, or might not be an Ace, so any of the other players can say 'Liar' and turn the card. If the card is indeed an Ace, then the person who said 'Liar' keeps the card, but if it's not an Ace, then the player who said it was an Ace takes the card back. If no one says 'Liar', then the next player can set down one, two, three or four cards and say the number of cards they set down and say 'two', and if no one says 'Liar' then the next person sets down a card and says 'three', and so on, and so on…"

"So…" said Kenichi sitting cross-legged. "If it's your turn and there's already a bunch of cards on the table, and I call you a liar, I take only the card or cards you set down, or… ?"

"Well, if I'm not lying…" replied Jack, "… then you get to take the whole bunch. The player left without cards wins, so you see how that would be bad for you."

"Got 'em!" called Ralph triumphal exiting his room, and holding the deck of cards in the air. "Kenichi, mate, you better like this game 'cause I almost woke Otieno up looking for them. I suppose I'm gonna have to clean up the mess in my side of the room… Otieno keeps complaining…"

As he said all this, Ralph had sat down at the table and had started to separate the cards in three mountains. Jack and Kenichi sat down at the table two and waited for Ralph to finish dealing the cards before each picking a little mountain.

Jack looked at his cards. Three fours, two eights, four sevens, one two, three threes…

"I'm the new one to this game," stated Kenichi while still looking at his cards. "So I'll go first." The other two nodded in agreement and waited for Kenichi to set down the first cards.

"Two Aces," he said, setting down two cards facedown.

"One two," said Ralph who was next.

"One three," said Jack.

"Two fours," said Kenichi.

"Liar," said Jack reaching out to turn the cards. Kenichi looked innocently at him.

The cards were a ten and a Queen.

Jack pushed the whole bunch towards his orange haired friend with a smirk. "It's a five next."

Kenichi took them all with a snigger.

"Tsk, tsk," reprimanded Ralph. "Lying already, Oosaki?"

Kenichi glanced at him with a mischievous glint in his eye. "One five."

"Two sixes," said Ralph.

"One seven."

"One eight."

"Four nines…"

**AVAVAVAVA**

"Liar!" cried Ralph pointing indignantly at Jack. "You, cousin dearest, are a liar!"

"I am not!" chuckled Jack.

Kenichi was shaking with laughter.

The game had already lasted for a while. Kenichi had finished his cards a few minutes before, meaning that he had won, but Jack and Ralph were too stubborn to back down and were trying to establish which one of them had the worst luck. At the moment, it was Ralph.

"You're a liar, I just know it!" insisted Ralph.

"Turn the cards if you don't believe me, then," Jack challenged him. "If I say they're four Kings, then they are four Kings. And keep your voice down, you'll wake someone up."

Kenichi chuckled. Ralph still didn't want to turn the four cards. "I still don't see the point in this game being played by two," said the half-Magi. "You both know which cards the other one has."

"Yes," said Jack. "But he doesn't know if I set down the four Kings or not."

"And why wouldn't you set them down?" asked Kenichi.

Jack smirked. "Because it'll irk him if I didn't set them down and he didn't call me a liar."

Ralph mock glared at his cousin. "Well, I'm calling you a liar now, Benjamin Slytherin," he said. "And I'll be turning them around… now… NO!"

Ralph covered his face with his hands and the other two burst out laughing, for on the center of the table lay four Kings.

"That was pathetic," moaned Ralph. "Ah, I hate you…"

Jack sniggered. "Feeling's mutual."

A werewolf howled.

The three boys jumped and stared out the window. They were so into the game they had forgotten about werewolf night. The full moon shone down on the school grounds, but apart from that, nothing else could be seen.

"What time is it?" asked Ralph.

"One, fifty-two," replied Jack before yawning. "Let's move into the Main Common…"

Ralph grumbled. "Give me back my cards…"

Jack handed his cards to his cousin with a cheeky smile and stood up. His two friends then followed his lead. He swung the door to the Main common room open and stepped into the faint light.

The Main Common, as Jack had started to call it, had three fireplaces in different parts of the room. The furniture had a distinct Arabian air about it and was grouped before the three stone fireplaces. There were no windows here, for the Main Common was in the center of the other eight common rooms, connecting them all, which meant that there were eight doors in this room alone. It was three floors high and could comfortably house seventy people or more. Here and there were gaming tables, thick rugs and engraved phrases in different languages. All three fireplaces were blazing, but the torches were off. Stacks of books with signs of being used recently rested on round and squared tables.

"Someone stayed up late," observed Kenichi looking at the books.

Ralph approached one of the tables to investigate the names.

"'_Imperialism and Dictatorship'_," read out Ralph while Jack warmed his hands in one of the fireplaces. It was a cold night. "_'Intellectual Foundations of a Revolution'_, _'Before and After: Chronicle of the War of the Ring'_, _'In search of White Crows: Spiritualism and Parapsychology'_… what on Earth are the sixth years studying?"

"Probably trying to uncover the _Secret of Life_, or something…" said Kenichi absentmindedly joining Jack before the fireplace. Ralph shook his head and sat on the sofa behind his friends.

The next eight minutes seemed eternal. The fire cackled but the werewolves weren't howling anymore. The three boys remained quiet, looking up occasionally when a shadow crossed the light that filtered from the cracks under some of the doors. The doors that had a three, a five, a six and a seven carved into them had light behind them.

Jack heard a sizzling sound behind him. He turned around and his eyes fell on a clock hanging by a mirror. It was two o'clock AM sharp. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

The other two boys nodded.

"It's not this fireplace," said Ralph.

"Must be one of the other two…" added Kenichi.

Jack turned to his friends. "Really?" he asked sarcastically.

Kenichi and Ralph exchanged a glance.

"Yeah," said Kenichi with a dead serious tone. "The ones blazing."

"On the other side of the room," complemented Ralph in the same tone.

Jack blew a strand of hair out of his face in exasperation and ignored his snickering friends as he approached one of the other two fireplaces so he could investigate which of them had spit the fire.

Ralph and Kenichi stood up together and kept making obvious comments between themselves and snickering because they knew it irked Jack. Such nice friends they were.

Jack first stood before a fireplace near a blue rug. The fireplace was calm and quiet. Jack frowned. The other one, then.

"It's a minute past two, already," observed Ralph. "Where's your friend?"

"Maybe he's running late?" suggested Kenichi, looking into the fire of one of the fireplaces.

"No," said Jack examining the floor before the third fireplace. Sparkly clean. "He's never late."

Jack collapsed on one of the sofas and leaned back tiredly. Where was Andor? He had to know why the Magical World believed him to be dead. He had to know why Taue had told the Ingoldstadt students to ignore the news. He had to know why his body could now take on anything his teachers and Ayax threw at him.

"Argh!" cried Kenichi before muffling his voice with his fist and jumping up and down on one foot.

Jack shot up from his seat. "What's the matter with you?" he whispered urgently. "You're going to wake somebody up!"

Kenichi glared at Jack and pointed accusingly at the fireplace to his right, making Jack grin. The fireplace was spitting sparks. One had probably scorched his leg. Realizing this, Ralph started to snicker. Kenichi glared at him, too.

Jack knelt in front of the fireplace in anticipation, and Ralph was fast to kneel beside him. Kenichi was still grumbling from the burn but sat crossed legged at the other side of Jack. All the now green-eyed boy could think of at the moment was that he was finally going to get some answers.

A dark figure started to take shape in the fire. It seemed to be spinning very, very fast, and Jack briefly wondered if that was normal. After a few seconds the figure started to slow down and soon enough a head showed up in front of them. Kenichi and Ralph, never having seen Andor before, did not react. Jack, though, was taken aback.

There was a face in the fire. A face he recognized.

But it wasn't Andor's.

Jack narrowed his eyes at the heavily scarred face. It seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it. The man's hair was snowy white and his eyes were blue. His teeth were unusually white.

"Greetings, master Akor," said the man politely.

"Who are you?" asked Jack coolly. "Where's Andor?"

Kenichi and Ralph looked startled at his change in demeanor and edged away from the fireplace.

The face smiled. "Do you not remember me?"

Jack frowned and did his best to retrieve the memories, but it was all in vain.

The man sighed. "My name is Paris. I am a vampire Prince. I healed you after the attack by Durza to Downtown Ebur."

Jack's face relaxed a little. He remembered Andor had spoken to him about Paris. Then he narrowed his eyes with suspicion. "How do I know it's really you, and not someone under Polyjuice?"

The man who claimed to be Paris smirked. "You are cautious. I like that. If I were not Paris, then how would I know that you have a five centimeter scar just below the left side of your ribcage, where a piece of wood pierced you? Or that the world is being told that you are dead because Ebur's Emperor owed Voldemort a favor?"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. "I'm sorry?"

"We do not have much time," answered Paris with a serious look on his face. "Andor was called to an emergency council and he sent me in his place. He knew you would be suspicious, so he told me that I should tell you that Gauri is alive and well, although her whereabouts are unknown."

Jack was about to speak but Paris cut him off.

"Let me tell you everything there is to say and then you can ask all you like, so long as it is within the time frame," the vampire Prince said sternly. "Before you were born, your father did a job for Emperor Hakan that almost cost your father his life. Hakan was very grateful but he knew he could not pay your father back, nor could he think of a way to do so. Until you started school. Unless I am mistaken, when Andor took you to the White Dragon he was in a hurry and Apparated away almost immediately, yes?"

Jack nodded, deathly quiet. His two friends had their eyes fixed on the fire.

"He must have told you he had a meeting. In that meeting, he spoke to Hakan about you and that Albus Dumbledore was trying to make you go to Hogwarts in hopes of turning you to the so-called Light side…"

Jack grimaced and was about to retort but was silenced by a glance from Paris.

"Andor convinced Hakan that by helping you hide he would be paying your father back for the favor. He took advantage of the fact that a building literally fell on you and between he and the Emperor strings started being pulled, memories modified, facts twisted, and now you are dead to the world. There is no better way to hide you, and hence, protect you."

"_The Oracle_ said my body was found under the ruble," Jack blurted out.

"Transfiguration," replied Paris. "At this level you will find masters of anything, everywhere."

"I see…" said Jack. "What about my sudden fitness? Do you know anything about that?" Paris raised an eyebrow and Jack looked thoughtful before adding, "Your Highness?"

Paris smirked. "Between you and me, that title is not necessary. So long as you do not ask me to start calling you Lord."

Jack shook his head in the negative. "I won't."

Paris gave the three boys a feral smile, fangs flashing. "Good. Now, about your fitness that might have been my fault."

Jack raised both eyebrows.

"Yes," said Paris. "See, when I found you, you were heavily wounded. The wood beam had crushed some of your ribs and pierced your left lung (Jack winced), the back of your head was bleeding profusely, and the rubble was heavy on you (now he looked yellow). If I had not found you when I did, you would not have survived. That is the reason why the story of your death is so credible. At any rate, while I was moving you out of the place where you were trapped I was hurt myself. It is Andor's theory that a minimal amount of my blood might have entered your bloodstream, thus helping you to heal faster and now causing the changes you are going through."

"Um…" started Jack, while trying to process what the vampire was telling him. "But if your blood was mixed with mine, then…"

"You are developing mild vampire powers, yes," Paris told him, and Jack swayed. Paris straightened his face. "If anything, this benefits you…"

Jack gave Paris a calculating look, remembering when he had first arrived in Arx Crystallus and the strange sensation he had felt when he saw the blood flowing down Ralph's hand. Almost like hunger. That definitely was not a benefit.

As if reading his mind, Paris elaborated. "Of course there are minor drawbacks, but I have reason to believe that my blood will not remain in your system for long. I have been told you are prone to big wounds, so it is just a matter of time before you bleed it out. Enjoy it while you can."

Jack frowned worriedly at the vampire's sadistic smile. He then made a perfect imitation of a goldfish before managing to speak.

"How is headmaster Taue related to all of this?"

"Ah, Taue," sighed Paris. "That man has eyes and ears everywhere, so we saw no point in hiding the whole thing from him, besides he sees you everyday… it seemed silly keeping it from him. Why? Not giving you a hard time, is he?"

"No, not at all," replied Jack. "Quite the contrary, actually…"

Paris' head disappeared from the fireplace. Jack jumped in surprise.

"Whe-where'd he go?" cried Ralph.

Kenichi checked the clock over their heads. "It's fifteen past two…"

Jack cursed. Paris had left him with more questions than answers, and he hadn't even thanked the vampire for saving his life, though considering what Paris' blood was doing to him, he didn't feel so grateful anymore.

"So…" started Ralph, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had settled between them, but his voice trailed away.

Jack closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "I need to sleep…"

He got on his feet without opening his eyes and barely heard his friends wishing him a feeble good night, before entering the blessed darkness of the first years' common room.


	12. And Werewolf Trails

A/N: I know I have taken forever to update… but do take into consideration that this chapter is about 7000 words long and I'm in finals… well, after that rather lame excuse, I'd like to thank all of the people following this story (Yes, Annie, that includes you) even if it is short in reviews. I'm rather proud of this chapter… it's one of my favorites so far, even though I think it needs polishing… I'd love to hear a couple of opinions so I know where work needs to be done :)

Disclaimer: Same as always. You know the drill.

---

Chapter Quote

I used to be a very open-minded person, but my brains kept falling out.

---

**Chapter 12**

**And Werewolf Trails**

A beam of sunlight fell on his eyelids, waking him up from his restless sleep. His arm hanging off the side of the bed, his eyes stinging from lack of sleep, and his head as heavy as lead. He buried his face in the pillow, willing the light away. Surprisingly, it did go away. Taken aback, he lifted his head to find the reason why, and he found that it was Kenichi's fault, as he was sitting on his bed and his head was blocking the window. The black haired boy made a face and went back to burying his face in his pillow. So much for telekinesis. And so much for the Great Dark Lord he was supposed to be, too. Wait a second… _Lord_? He frowned into his pillow. Ah, yes… his father was dead.

He had spent most of the last five hours tossing and turning around, tying to come to terms with the information Paris had given him, but to no avail. Why was he feeling so lightheaded? Oh, right… the pillow was suffocating him. He moved his head so his nose was free to breathe and let his mind wander to the past as he heard Kenichi moving about the room quietly, probably thinking that Jack was still asleep. He remembered Maggie the Housekeeper, and Alfred the Butler. Topfer and Sparky the House Elves, Nagini his father's familiar, Audrey Cineris and Chantal Lestrange… the pranks he and Audrey would play on Alfred, the tips his father gave him for making the neon pink dye stay on Alfred's hair for a month, his mother playing the piano, his father helping him aim the bucket full of magical pink dye at Alfred's head as the butler walked under the stairs, sitting on his home's roof at night watching the stars without his parents knowing about it, Maggie making him clean the meeting room's wooden floor because he'd been stupid enough to break his arm while climbing the gates, the first time he levitated a rock, his father's proud smile, his mother's caresses… all gone…

Once Kenichi went into their bathroom, Jack rolled on his back. His early childhood could be one out of two things for him, he reasoned. It could either be a period of his life he could look back into with fondness if he looked for peace of mind… or it could be a painful remainder of what he once had and lost at the hands of the Muggles who murdered his mother. Though thinking about it, his past could also be what spurred him in the future. Yes… losing something so precious could be his fuel if he ever did become the Dark Lord. He could attribute all of his pain to Muggles.

It was Muggles who were responsible for his mother's death. It was Muggles who had almost killed him more than once. It was Muggles who had mercilessly branded him. It was Muggles who half-starved him to death. It was because of Muggles that Tom was forced to leave his child and soul-mate behind for long periods of time when he traveled to England. Consequently, it was because of Muggles that his mother would spend her nights worrying over his father, and sometimes even cry herself to sleep. He hated it when his mother cried her silent tears, because he knew Samantha Ravine was a strong woman. An unbreakable woman. He had always wanted to say or do something to console her, but he didn't want her to know that he heard her cry. It was Muggles who tore his world apart and made his life go up in smoke.

And the Light side. Jack snorted disdainfully. What did the old goat know about good and evil? How could he call the Dark Lord evil when Dumbledore himself knowingly sent the Order of the Phoenix to their deaths each time they faced the Death Eaters? Jack stood faithfully by his father's philosophy.

_There is no good and evil, only power and those who seek it._

As a small child, he found the phrase difficult to understand, funny even. But as he grew up, he slowly began to realize that it made perfect sense, and not only that, but it was also quite true. The Muggles who hurt him were not evil. They were horrible to him, yes, cruel and merciless. But they had families, too, and they cared about them. As did Death Eaters, and the Light side. So what had the war revolved around then? Revenge? Freedom? Power? Or was there something else just hidden beneath the surface? _What was it that his father had not told him?_

_---_

"Wake up, Harry!" cried Ron jumping on Harry's bed that particular morning. "It's Halloween today, sleepy head! And it's Saturday! Up, up, up!"

Harry groaned at his best friend and tried to slap him away. "Get off, Ronald," grumbled Harry. "I want to sleep."

Ron laughed happily. "Sleeping is for babies. Get up, Harry!"

Harry shook his head into his pillow and tightened the covers around him.

"Merlin's beard, mate," said Ron gruffly. "There're actual _sweets _waiting for us in the Great Hall."

"We eat sweets everyday, stupid," replied Harry with his voice muffled by the pillow.

Ron rolled his eyes. "Well, I didn't want to restore to this, but you do realize that you might get a response from Kristy when the post arrives?"

Harry lifted his head ever so slightly. "What time is it?"

"Nine something," mumbled Ron. "Just get up, will ya, mate?"

Harry growled. "Fine."

"Woohoo!" wailed Ron, waking up the other three boys.

"Get a room, Weasley," complained Seamus angrily.

"Yeah," agreed Dean. "Don't be so loud."

Neville looked around the room with a sleepy look on his face. "What's the racket about?"

"It's Halloween!" complained Ron. "This isn't a day to sleep in! C'mon!"

Harry, Dean and Seamus groaned, and Neville rubbed his eyes.

"Fine, mum," grumbled Harry sitting up in his bed. "I won't be able to go back to sleep, anyway."

"Good," said Ron, opening Harry's trunk and pulling out a clean set of clothes. "I've been up since an hour ago or so," he added throwing the clothes at Harry's head. "Got tired of waiting."

Harry felt around the bedside table for his glasses at the same time he spit out a sock. "Ron, do me a favor and stop behaving like your mother."

The redheaded boy huffed at him and left the room muttering to himself.

Harry gathered his clothes in his arms and tried to make his hair stay down with one hand but lost the battle. Sighing at having inherited his father's hair, he stood up from his bed and walked to the boys' bathroom, noticing along the way that Dean and Seamus had gone back to sleep but that Neville was up as well. He waved at him before disappearing behind the door.

---

"Pass the pancakes," said Ron pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice.

Neville pushed the plate to him and continued to munch on his bacon.

"So…" said Harry twirling his fork and an elbow on the table. "Full of sweets, huh?"

Ron's ears turned pink. "Well, Fred and George…"

Harry stopped twirling the fork and gave his best friend a look that clearly meant _'Again?'_

Ron rolled his eyes. "Fine… so I shouldn't have believed them."

The Great Hall was almost empty except for themselves, five Ravenclaws, two Slytherins, and a couple of Hufflepuffs. Snape and McGonagall were both sitting at the High Table, and both were reading the Daily Prophet.

"How is it that teachers get their post first?" asked Ron chewing a pancake.

"That's unfair," commented Neville.

"Yeah, I know," replied Harry with a sigh. He hoped Hedwig would be back later that morning with Kristy's reply… he had always valued her opinion.

"So, what did you write to Kristy about?" asked Neville.

Harry swallowed his bit of toast. "Oh, this and that… Halloween to be more precise."

"And You-Know-Who's kid," added Ron absentmindedly.

"Voldemort, Ron, his name's Voldemort," corrected Harry ignoring Ron's and Neville's flinching. Harry rolled his eyes. "It's just a name, guys."

"A name ya'should stop sayin', Harry," said Hagrid approaching them from behind.

"But he's dead, Hagrid," argued Harry.

"Don' think so," replied Hagrid darkly. "I say he's still alive… somewhere. An' he's not gonna be happy when he fin's out his kid's dead."

"Do you… do you really think he survived, Hagrid?" asked Neville in a small voice.

"Ah, yes," muttered Hagrid eyeing the staff table. "Most might say he didn' make it… but someone like… like You-Know-Who, don' throw the towel that easy."

Harry stared curiously at Hagrid. "But how could he have survived? Wouldn't that mean he would try to come back?"

"Don' say that, Harry!" cried Hagrid silently. "No use in callin' the devil, eh? Ye don' know what ye're talking abou'. Ye were only small toddlers when he was in full power… some years before he was defeated he'd started to slow down, his kid growin' up an' everythin'… just don' say that again."

"Ok, Hagrid," said Harry with a sigh. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop saying his name," he teased with a cheeky grin.

"Hmph," said Hagrid with a slight tinge of annoyance and continued on his way to the staff table.

"You should really stop saying it, Harry," insisted Neville with his eyes fixed on the table.

Harry grinned mischievously. "Voldemort, Voldemort, Voldemort!" he cried softly.

Ron and Neville shook as if struck by an electric current, and Harry laughed.

"Aw, come on!" he chuckled. "It's not as if his ghost would suddenly show up if I call his name."

"I'd rather not find out," grimaced Ron.

Harry shook his head at his friends and looked up when the doors of the Great Hall opened with a bang. He sat stunned, expecting to see Lord Voldemort in the flesh walk into the Hall, but breathed normally again when the grand entrance turned out to be that of the Weasley twins and Lee Jordan. He burst out laughing when he noticed that Ron and Neville had identical looks of horror on their faces, probably thinking the same thing.

"Damn it, Harry," cursed Ron. "See what I tell you? I almost died, right there."

The redheaded boy scowled at his older brothers and their friend because of their loud presence, since now they were roaring with laughter and attracting everyone's eyes to them. Behind them, entered two second year girls from Ravenclaw eyeing them cautiously, closely followed by more students from other houses, who apparently deemed ten o'clock in the morning the appropriate time to come down (or up) to breakfast on a Saturday. The Weasley twins jogged to where Harry, Ron, and Neville were, and tripped Lee Jordan in the process, who swore revenge on them and caught up a few seconds later.

"S'up guys?" asked Fred, or George, helping himself to some pancakes.

"Post not here yet, I see…" added the second twin snatching up a jug of milk.

"Why are you waiting for the post?" asked Ron watching his brothers serve themselves breakfast.

"Mum said…" started George.

"… she'd send…" continued Fred.

"… sweets…" said George.

"… and pasties…" added Fred.

"… from home," finished both as a chorus.

Neville blinked at them in confusion while Harry grinned at them. It would have been awesome to have a twin and challenge the Weasley twins to a prank war. He had daydreamed about it before… the Potter twins vs. the Weasley twins… it would have been madness.

"Post shouldn't take so much longer to get here now," said Lee checking his watch. Every minute a new wave of students entered the Great Hall, chatting away and laughing… some half asleep and being dragged by their friends.

"Post, post, post, post," Fred started chanting under his breath, while his twin hummed like an orchestra since his mouth was so full of food.

"Morning, Neville, Harry," greeted Hermione sitting down beside Neville. "Sleep well?"

"We did, thanks, Hermione," replied Harry. "Or at least… until Ron jumped on my bed demanding that I get up."

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "No surprises there," she said helping herself to some eggs and bacon.

Ron was about to retort when he was interrupted by Fred waving his arms like a maniac and George crying out, "Post!" showering his little brother with bits of toast.

"Eugh, George!" whined Ron cleaning his face with his robes. "That was NOT necessary!"

Harry laughed at the redhead as he searched the cloud of owls for a white dot.

After a few minutes of looking through the flying sea of owls, Harry saw one that stood out from the rest. He grinned when the white bird swooped down and landed gracefully in front of him with her leg stuck out.

"Hello, Hedwig," he smiled at her, stroking her feathers and removing the letter at the same time. "Had a good flight?"

The owl hooted softly and nipped his finger; just as an owl crashed on the table and made them all jump.

"PASTIES!" cried Fred and George going for poor old Errol.

"Wait!" cried Hermione covering the old bird with her arms. "He's tired and you might hurt him!"

"Geez, guys," said Ron. "Even I have to agree with her this time. There's no more family owl if you land on top of him like that."

The redhead removed the parcels from the owl and threw two at his brothers, one at each, before offering Errol a drink while the twins ripped open their packages. Harry shook his head at them and offered Hedwig part of his breakfast before opening his own letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_Happy Halloween! Your letter did reach me yesterday, which only proves what an excellent owl Hedwig is. Give her a double treat from me._

_I'm very well, thank you for asking, and I don't mean it sarcastically. I hope you're doing well, too, and I hope that accursed scar of yours isn't giving you any trouble, because if it is I'll find a way to kick its little butt. But enough of that… you wanted to know about the time I met the Dark Heir? It wasn't anything special really, though he looks a lot like you. But I still like you lots better, especially after he was so rude to Professor Dumbledore._

_I don't think he's dead either, Harry. And mom, and your parents are scared that Voldy didn't really die. I think he did, but then again, our parents think the Heir died. Must be a parent-child thing._

_Speaking of which… your mom forbade me to tell you if I wrote to you, so I'll just say she has some news for you… well, she and your dad. You should be getting your family owl soon after you get Hedwig._

_Smile!_

_Kristy_

_P.S. Do tell Ron he is mad, and that he better not pass it on to you. And tell him I agree with having a holiday before Halloween, just not because of someone's death. Smack him, too._

_P.P.S. Orion says hi._

_P.P.P.S. So does Paige._

Harry smiled at her three post-scripts, and fed a delighted Hedwig the double treat Kristy had ordered. He folded the letter and looked up at the remaining birds, trying to find his family owl and wondering what was it that Lily had forbidden Kristy to speak about.

---

"Oi, Riddle! Up yet?"

Jack woke up with a start. He must have fallen asleep at some point during his musings.

"Am up…" he gurgled almost intelligibly. "Couldn't sleep properly last night."

Kenichi sat on his unmade bed facing Jack's. "Sorry, mate, but you're gonna be late for breakfast if you don't get up now."

Jack cracked an eye open and looked at his friend. "Not hungry."

"Aw, c'mon!" cried Kenichi making Jack wince at the noise. "It's Halloween!"

"It's freaking Saturday, Kenichi," complained the Dark Heir. "Let me sleep."

Kenichi crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. "Billy and Tancred will be wanting to know about last night, Jack. I know what Paris said shook you, but you can't let that stop you. Get up!"

Jack lifted his head and studied his friend with his eyes. "Have you been reading some book of self-lifting your self-esteem or something of the sorts?"

Kenichi mock glared at Jack and threw a pillow at him. Jack sniggered and sat up in his bed. They stayed little over a minute in silence.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" asked Jack suddenly. "Go to breakfast, I'll catch up."

Kenichi jumped to his feet and gave Jack a mock bow before exiting the room, while saying "Yes, my Lord!" at which Jack threw a pillow at the door. He could hear Kenichi laughing at the other side. The Dark Heir shook his head at his friend's antics and stood up from the bed, feeling a lot more refreshed than the first time he had woken up. Funny… how sleeping just another fifteen minutes could make such a difference. He pushed the bathroom door open… and yelped in surprise when he was doused with freezing cold water. In the not so far away distance, he could hear Kenichi laughing his head off and his muffled cries of "I told you I would have my revenge!"

Jack wiped the water off his eyes cursing softly. He should have known the peace and quiet would not last long after making the Japanese boy hover by his ankle. He would have to tread more carefully now, and probably think of retaliation. Actually, forget about probably, he would think of retaliation, but at the moment, he had to get himself dry if he wanted to avoid hypothermia…

He pried the old t-shirt from his upper body and was about to wring the water out of it in the sink, when a fleeting glance at his reflection stopped him. He left the t-shirt beside the sink and watched the pale boy staring back at him from the full body mirror. It had been a long time since he had last paid any attention to his own reflection, mainly because he knew that what he would see would remind him of his past. He let out a shaky breath.

The five-centimeter scar that Paris had mentioned the night before was there, below the left side of his ribcage. He traced the pink line that made a stark contrast when put against his white skin, and eyed the one that began a little bit below and ended somewhere on his back.

'_Stupid Muggles_,' he thought to himself with a scowl. A scowl that only deepened when he remembered Madame Pomphrey.

"_Your father did this to you, didn't he?"_

"_What are you getting at? Of course he didn't! He would never hurt me!"_

"_He must have messed with your mind…"_

"_He did not!"_

"_Why did he hurt you like this? Did you make him angry, or did he do it without a reason?"_

"_Why won't you listen? I'm telling you my father never laid a finger on me!"_

"_Alright. Who did it then?"_

"_Why bother? You would never believe me…"_

Jack's scowl was replaced by a neutral face. His sapphire blue eyes stared back at him dully. True… no one on Dumbledore's side would ever believe the truth, as Muggle lovers that they were. They would first believe that his own father would inflict the painful wounds that were now the long scars criss-crossing his back, rather than believe that their adored, _innocent_ Muggles, who they had sworn to protect, would stoop so low as to hurting a boy.

He sighed in defeat.

_He missed his parents too much_.

---

"Wondered if you had drowned," said Ralph pulling an empty chair towards their table. "We saved some breakfast for you."

Jack smiled at his cousin and plopped down on the offered seat. "Thanks, guys. Where's Billy?"

"Probably sleeping in," replied Kenichi, folding a paper into some sort of 3-D diamond. "It's Saturday, after all."

Jack nodded and looked around the Dining Hall. Some of the students were still giving him curious glances, but they did not last long. It seemed he was old news already. Kenichi kept himself busy with what Jack now knew was Origami, and Ralph laid his head down on the table and closed his eyes as Jack continued to eat quietly.

The peaceful silence among the three lasted until the doors to the Dining Hall burst open violently, and Sven, who seemed to be the oldest of the Ingoldstadt werewolves and, as such, the leader, ran at top speed to where the teachers were seating. The three boys watched with growing dread how Sven whispered something urgently to them and the teachers' faces grew dark. Whispers started running wild, then.

"What happened?"

"Maybe a villager got bitten."

"Or killed…"

"Must you always be so pessimistic?"

"Hey! I'm just preparing myself for the worst."

"As always…"

"Stop speculating!"

"What happened?"

"What's the uproar about?" asked Billy coming to stand between Jack and Kenichi.

"Sven came running in," explained Ralph. "We don't know what happened yet, but he looks livid."

Headmaster Taue stood up solemnly and the students quieted down.

"It appears that one of our werewolf students went missing sometime during the night," he told the intent student population in a low voice. "A search party has already been organized and is scouting the forests as we speak. Even if you want to help, I ask of you that you do not go into the forest if you are not familiar with it already since one missing student is more that enough, but it will be appreciated if you kept a look out for our missing student. His name is Tancred Torrson, and he is a Canadian first year student…" Taue then went into physically describing Tancred.

Jack closed his hand into a fist at the time Kenichi and Ralph exchanged alarmed glances. "I knew something was not right!" hissed Jack. "Desmond Tiny is behind it, I know it!"

"Let's not jump into conclusions," advised Billy fidgeting nervously.

"We have to do something," said Ralph suddenly. "Tancred's our friend! We cannot just wait for the others to sort this out!"

"I agree," said Jack darkly looking at Sven. The werewolf looked shaken but was slowly coming back to his senses, and he was already surrounded by a group of the oldest students who were eager to help, and who obviously knew the forest inside out. "But how?"

"I'll take you to Tarway!" replied Billy with bright eyes. "I haven't visited the village since the beginning of the semester and I would very much like to see it again. We can ask the villagers if they saw something."

The other three boys exchanged looks.

"It's worth a shot," commented Kenichi.

Jack and Ralph nodded. "Let's do this."

On the way to the main doors they checked they all had their wands (except Billy, of course), and money should the need arise. Both Jack and Ralph had money on them, but Kenichi had left his in their room and they did not want to lose anymore time. The sooner Tancred was with them the better.

"Oi! Where are you guys going?" cried a girl's voice.

The four boys turned around and saw Nora, Tancred's sister, trying to catch up with them. They had almost forgotten about her. Shancus was hot on her heels.

"We're going to Tarway and check out if the villagers have seen anything," explained the albino. "Wanna come?"

"Sure do," answered Nora. "This is my only brother we're talking about. My parents will have my head if anything happens to him."

Nora looked beyond worried but she was trying to mask it. Her sparkling grass green eyes that were so much like Tancred's were an easy giveaway of that.

"Okay then," said Billy. "Brace yourselves because this is a thirty minute run. An hour away if we walk."

"Let's get there in forty-five minutes, then," said Ralph walking fast down one of the bridges that connected the castle to the island. He wanted to find Tancred as soon as possible because he wanted to apologize for what he had said the night before. He had just been teasing the werewolf but he felt horrible now.

The tiny albino expertly led the rather large group down a cobblestone path at a jog. At times, they would wander into the forest so they could rest in the shade, but did not linger much. None of them said a word as to save their breath, and as the silence had begun to become uncomfortable a wooden arch came into view. _'Welcome to Tarway'_ it read.

Nora broke into a run and Shancus ran behind her calling for her to wait for him. She ignored him.

"So this is Tarway?" panted Ralph.

"Wait until you see it," grinned Billy, not tired in the slightest, considering his half-vampire status. "You'll love it."

The four boys strode down the road and the first thing that came into view once they had passed the arch was a security booth. Guards were going in and out and consulting maps, and glancing into the forest. They were too busy to see them enter. A little more down the road inns started to show up. Small, big, old, and new. Beyond the inns the road parted into three different ways: one that led to a small neighborhood, one full of shops and the third road had more homes and shops. The town spread out from there into a maze of roads, streets and a main avenue that crossed the entire place.

"Do we split up?"

---

"What did the letter say, Harry?" asked Neville, doing his best to ignore the burping competition going on between the Weasley twins.

"Not much," replied Harry, equally trying to ignore the twins. "Just that she doesn't think that Riddle's dead but our parents do. Curiously they also think that his dear old dad is still alive. And she said something about my mum wanting to tell me something."

"Like?" said Ron as if nothing out of the ordinary were happening.

"Dunno..." said Harry with a slight shrug and going back to searching for his family owl. "Though she said my parents had forbidden her of telling me."

"Aaah! Intriguing!" cried Ron joining Harry in his search.

"What's your family owl like?" asked Hermione scrunching up her nose because of the twins.

"He's red," answered Harry. "Or almost…"

"Like that one?" asked Hermione pointing to one of the rafters.

"Why is he perched there?" frowned Ron.

"I think he has a falcon complex…" muttered Harry. Ron gave him a quizzical look. "He thinks he's a falcon," explained Harry.

"Rrrright…" said Ron. "Soooo… why is he perched there?"

Harry shrugged. Then, the owl came soaring down, beak-first, into the table. Literally.

"Arnulf!" cried Harry, gently lifting the owl whose beak was stuck in the wood. "How many times have I told you not to dive like that? You can never brake or land in time."

The red owl ruffled its feathers and looked indignantly at Harry. Reluctantly, he stuck out his leg to which a letter and a package were tied. Harry removed both and offered whatever was left of breakfast to Arnulf before opening the envelope with a curious frown.

"What does it say?" asked Hermione.

"Wait, wait…" chided Harry before beginning to read.

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you, darling? This is your mom writing… though your dad will probably try to snatch the quill from me soon… So, Harry, how's school? Sirius tells us you're his best student! Congratulations! Though the episode with Professor Snape was-_

_**That was awesome, kid! Way to go! The Grease Monkey definitely deserved what you gave him! You are well on your way to become a true Marauder!**_

_Hopefully, that will not be happening any time soon…_

_**Who says so!?**_

_I say so! Forgive your dad, Harry… apparently he doesn't know how to write his own letters to you-_

_**Don't listen to her, Harry, it was her idea that we tell you the news together… how can we do that in separate letters, I ask you!?**_

_Thank you, James… that is quite enough banter._

Harry laughed at his parents. They could be so childish some times.

_So, anyway… what we are about to tell you is big Harry. And we know it will hit the Prophet soon but we wanted you to hear it from us before the entire magical world._

_**Geez, Lils, will you get to the point or do I have to do it myself?**_

_I was getting to that! But maybe if you stopped interrupting I would have already told him!_

_**It seems I will have to do it myself… The thing is, Harry, that sometime during the night a baby boy was left on our doorstep…**_

_You are so tactful, James… (note the sarcasm). Though, what your dad says is true, Harry._

Harry's jaw dropped open. A baby? Someone had left a baby on their doorstep? Who on Earth could be possessed to do such a thing? Or more importantly, why and how had they done it?

_**So yep… we have a baby at home right now and we don't know what to do with him. There was no letter with an explanation, no note with his name, no nothing… just the little thing wrapped up in a blanket-**_

_The Blacks, the Weasleys, and Remus are all here… Molly fell in love with him the moment she saw him and insists we keep him… that whoever left him here knew we were a good family that would care for him. Kristy and Orion love the idea and have been begging us to keep him, too._

_**Remus says he would like to have a godson again…**_

_But we really would like to know how you feel about all this? He's really adorable, Harry… dark brown hair, almost black, and brownish green eyes… your dad and I have almost said yes to keeping him but we won't make any decisions until we hear from you… after all, he would be your little brother._

_**Ah! And just for the record, you don't have to answer right away. This is a very important decision that has to be thought over more than twice, and it's one that we are going to take as a family.**_

_Other than that, everyone misses you and all send their regards. There are some sweets and pasties in the package we sent you with Arnulf from both us, and all of your friends at home. I hope you like them-_

_**Have a Happy Halloween, kiddo! – Your dad, out.**_

_So yes… have a great day, sweetheart. Take your time, we will wait for Hedwig._

_Love,_

_Mom and Dad_

"This has got to be a joke," muttered Harry absentmindedly.

"What Harry?" asked Ron, munching on one of the pasties his mother had sent him and the twins. As an answer, Harry gave Ron the letter so he could read it. After a couple of sniggers and then a shocked silence, Ron spoke again.

"A baby? On your _doorstep_?"

Neville choked on his juice. "What!?"

"That's what it says," said Harry with a thoughtful frown. "They say everyone loves him already and that everyone wants us to keep him, but that nothing will be decided unless I have my say."

"That's nice on your parents part," commented Hermione. "Some parents will make decisions without thinking about what their children want. I know I don't know your family or anything, but babies are not left on random doorsteps. Whoever left him there has been watching your parents, and they liked them."

"That's what Mrs. Weasley said," replied Harry.

"Well, say yes, Harry!" cried Fred.

"Having siblings is not that bad," added George.

"Yeah…" agreed Ron. "Haven't you always wanted a brother? This is your chance, Harry!"

Harry went back to frowning. This was huge. Sure, he had always wanted Alan back, his brother… maybe… just maybe… this kid that had been dropped on his doorstep so unceremoniously could make up for his lost twin? He shook his head mentally. Nope. No one could ever replace Alan… but why not give this baby a chance to grow up in a family?

"Ok," said Harry with a growing smile. "It seems I have a new little brother."

The Weasley twins cheered, and Ron grinned. Neville smiled uncertainly and Hermione nodded approvingly.

Still smiling, Harry ripped off a small piece of parchment from his parents' letter and wrote a quick note saying he was in favor of keeping the baby. He tied up the little paper to Arnulf's leg and the red owl rose in the air.

---

"Excuse me, Ms. Did you see anything out of the ordinary last night?" panted Jack coming to stand in front of a young woman.

"You mean, beside the werewolves?" said the lady raising an eyebrow.

Jack nodded. "One of them got lost. He's a boy around my age, a bit taller, dirty blond hair and green eyes, his hair's short… have you seen him?"

The woman shook her head. "I'm sorry, lad. All of us know not to come out when there is a full moon. I doubt anyone has seen anything."

Jack sighed in defeat. "Alright… thanks anyway."

He turned around to find his cousin walking towards him looking as crestfallen as Jack himself probably felt.

'_I doubt anyone has seen anything.'_

That was the response they got from every single villager they approached. The four boys had split into pairs three hours before, and had scouted three thirds of Tarway already to find absolutely nothing. Niente. Nada.

"Any luck?" called Ralph flatly.

Jack shook his head and went to meet his way-too-distant-cousin. "We have to meet Kenichi and Billy. And we should eat something, too… it's almost two o'clock, and breakfast wasn't very filling, to tell you the truth."

"Yeah," agreed Ralph. "Let's see if we can find a store or something around here, and eat while we scout the last part of the village."

Jack nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

The two boys went down the street they were currently standing on and silently made their way to the landmark by which they had agreed to meet. It was an enormous fountain with a huge phoenix surging from the water, about to take flight. It's golden body looked sleek because of the water that caressed the rough plumage and cascaded from its open wings into the mirror-like surface of the fountain. Its beak was slightly open, as if it had once held something but the passing of time had snatched it away. Kenichi and Billy were already standing under the shadow it projected on the cobblestone plaza.

"Anything?" called Kenichi.

Ralph shook his head sadly.

Billy sighed. "We found Nora and Shancus on our way here… it seems they haven't found anything on the north side of the village and they're going back to the castle. Maybe you should, too. There's no more places to search at here, and all the villagers are already going back to their homes for lunch."

"What about you?" questioned Jack. "Aren't you coming with us?"

Billy averted Jack's eyes with a little bit of shame. "Remember what I told you about me being an orphan?" At Jack's cautious nod, he continued. "Well, when Kenichi and I asked the owner of the 'orphanage' I live in if she had seen Tancred, she said that a couple went to her asking about me… it seems they want to adopt me, Jack. Sorry…"

Jack looked taken aback. "Sorry for what?"

The little albino was suddenly very interested in his shoelaces. "Sorry that I'm not going to keep you much company this summer… usually orphans stay living here, and the couple who wants to adopt me lives in Norfolk. I'll be meeting them today." Billy raised his gaze and met Jack's with pained eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jack."

"Oh," frowned Jack. "That's… well… don't worry about it, Bill, I… I have been on my own before. Besides, if you really want to get adopted then this is the best that could have happened to you," he argued in a cheerful, yet damp, tone.

Billy wasn't fooled.

"Alright…" said Jack waving his hands to make a point. "So I may not be happy about staying here on my own, but it'll only be two or three months that I'll stay alone before you guys come back. I can deal with it," he explained trying not to think about the fact that he was staying in the first place because he was already an orphan. "You can't let this opportunity go to waste because of me."

That was the last thing that was said on the topic. Billy led the three friends back to the wooden arch and pointed out the road they should follow to get to Ingoldstadt, before turning around and walking back to the place where he was to meet his future stepparents, unknowingly leaving Jack in a gloomier mood than the one he had woken up with that very morning.

On Sunday Tancred was still missing. His parents had, of course, been notified the day before and since they could not enter the island because the wards would not allow them, they were staying in Arctan, a citadel in Ebur, and Nora had joined them Saturday night. Some Halloween celebration they all had…

Billy had not gone back to the castle, but he had sent a pigeon telling his new friends that he would be staying the rest of the week with the young couple, getting to know them before the adoption papers were signed and he was whisked away to Norfolk until he was old enough to attend Ingoldstadt as a proper student.

Jack, Kenichi and Ralph had spent most of the day on the grounds playing cards without enthusiasm, glancing occasionally into the forest at the other side of the bridge and wondering what had become of their Canadian friend, until Kenichi got frustrated and made a proposal.

"You want us to go looking for Tancred ourselves?" asked Ralph sceptically.

Kenichi nodded.

Jack blew a strand of black hair out of his eyes. "Do pray tell, Kenichi, how are we going to find him if the adults haven't been able to do so?"

"With help from our Oris," replied Kenichi as if it were the most obvious thing on Earth.

The Slytherin cousins shared a glance before looking back at Kenichi.

"Those demons?" they said at the same time.

Kenichi rolled his eyes. "They're not demons."

Jack made a face. "Well, maybe Áed isn't, but Ayax and Líadan aren't going to let us ride them." He grimaced at the memory from the riding classes the day before. Ayax had reached a whole new level by jumping into the air and actually flying for a few seconds before dropping Jack at two metres (6,5 ft) from the ground. It had _hurt_.

"Well, are you giving them a reason to fear you?" asked Kenichi.

"I haven't gone around Líadan's back and cried '_Boo!_' if that's what you're asking," replied Ralph crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly.

Kenichi huffed. "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"Well, I'm not scaring him," said Jack. "Ayax is too damn proud."

"Then don't behave like you own them," grumbled Kenichi. "Behave like you're equals."

Ralph stared blankly at the half Magi. "I'm not about to go running around the school grounds neighing my throat raw and flapping my arms trying to fly."

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose. "Bloor… are you stupid by nature or do you fake it just to annoy me?"

"Ever heard of the term 'sense of humour', cousin?" asked Ralph venomously.

"Fine!" cried Kenichi, wanting to avoid an argument between long lost relatives. "Don't ride your Oris then. I'll ride mine, though."

Jack shook his head in exasperation. "Let's just find Tancred, alright?"

"Let me get Áed," said Kenichi.

Jack and Ralph followed Kenichi to the stables and Jack actually tried to reason with Ayax. The Oris had glared at him as much as a winged horse could before trying to bite the annoyed wizard.

"See, Kenichi? It's not me! It's that bloody horse!" he had complained to his Japanese friend before turning on the black Oris, but speaking more to himself than to anyone else. "I don't get anyone! Why is it that everyone seems to hate me? My only crime was to be born into a Dark family I didn't choose to be born into, but people seem to think that is an excellent excuse to blame all their troubles and vent their anger on me! Now it seems even animals seem to hate me! I've done everything within my- I've been patient, I've been harsh, I've been just, I've been understanding… I just don't know what to do anymore, Ayax! And you know what? I don't care if we don't ever get along, because I've already resigned myself to the fact that from now on that is the way it's going to be with anyone outside of Ingoldstadt!"

Jack took a deep breath to calm himself down before his magic got out of control and he hurt someone. It was not like him to lose his cool, and although he had merely raised his voice a little over his usual volume, his flashing glacier blue eyes were enough to make anyone's hair stand on end. He frowned angrily at the apparently shocked Oris and said one last thing with a hurt tone of voice before turning on his heel and walking out of the stable.

"Now if you excuse me, there's a friend I have to find. With or without your help is no longer my concern."

Ralph and Kenichi shared a quick glance before following the Dark Heir into the forest, the orange haired boy bringing a red and black Oris with him, and trying to ignore the shuffling black Oris they had left back at the stables. Not a word was spoken between the three friends even after they were swallowed by the darkness cast upon them by the canopies of the tall, tall trees.

---

Special thanks to Dogofalldoom, Jocyo, Lady Miscellaneous, Samantha Rose Riddle, TanyaPotter and crazyudja


	13. Family Ties

**A/N: Here we are again, with a new chapter… I know hardly anyone reads author's notes, so I'll make this quick. I have no excuse for taking so long to update… I'm sorry. I'm also a little numb. Mexico lost to Argentina just a few hours ago in soccer, and though I knew we would lose, 'cause somehow that's the way it's always been, it still feels… empty. I don't know how else to explain it.**

**Anyhow, congratulations Argentina. You played really well tonight… I would have loved it if Mexico had won, but we lost and I admit defeat. No hard feelings.**

**Thanks a ton for the reviews, peoples! I'll try to speed up my writing… I can't allow myself to lag.**

**---**

**Chapter 13**

**Family Ties**

**---**

Kenichi took a deep breath. There didn't seem to be any traces of Tancred being there two nights before. He had lost track of time already, and since the trees covered the sun, it was impossible for any of them to tell what time it was. By the look of things it could even be night already.

He raised his wand a bit more so he could see farther away from where he was. Jack was in the lead. His black haired friend had not spoken a word nor acknowledged any of them since they had left the stables behind, and that worried him. Right behind Jack came Áed, who had somehow understood what they were doing and was doing a job of sniffing out the werewolf, but to no avail. Behind Kenichi, and giving a last scan of the path, was Ralph. The pure-blooded wizard looked desperate to find Tancred since the day before. Guilty conscience, perhaps.

All three of them had gotten their wands out and lighted them ten minutes into the forest, when they had wandered from the main path. He felt they would get lost soon.

"What's this?" muttered Ralph behind them. Jack stopped Áed to look at what Ralph had found, but still did not speak.

Kenichi knelt down beside Ralph, who was prodding dry leaves away from a spot on the ground. He frowned.

"It's a coin," said Kenichi, taking the shiny thing in his hand. Jack led Áed to where his two friends were kneeling and took a look at the round object.

"It's Canadian Muggle currency," he whispered. "See the maple leaf? Tancred was here."

Kenichi and Ralph exchanged a quick glance but said nothing about their friend's behaviour. Jack was already scouting the nearby area for any tracks that they might have missed or could be partially erased because of the wind, or covered by leaves like the coin had been.

"There's fur in those bushes," pointed Kenichi squinting in the gloom. "So we know Tancred was definitely here… just… which way did he go?"

"Look for broken twigs," instructed Ralph. "Anything…"

Jack narrowed his now lemon green eyes and raised his wand above his head. Áed had gone back to sniffing the ground while Kenichi picked the hair from the thorny plants.

"Here," called Jack approaching a bush. "And here… and here. It could have been an animal, though… there's no telling."

"It's our only lead," pointed Ralph. "Let's mark the trees so we can get back."

Kenichi hesitated. "I don't know… it seems too vague."

Jack drew back his wand.

"Cool!" exclaimed Ralph, momentarily forgetting about their current situation and apparently seeing Jack's wand for the first time. "Your wand's black! Mine's white and grey. My brother says it is because I was born without the gift for the Dark Arts that he was born with. I'm guessing you were born Dark?"

Jack raised an eyebrow at him. "Would being the Dark Heir have something to do with it, Ralph?" he said sarcastically. He smiled at the lovely pink tinge acquired by Ralph's cheeks, then placed his wand horizontally on the palm of his hand. "Point me!"

The three boys and the winged horse watched the wand spin clockwise very fast until it slowed down to a halt. With his empty hand, Jack drew a diamond in the air muttering something to himself before pointing in the direction of the broken twigs. "That's East, so… _uh-oh_…"

"What?" asked Ralph with a slight frown.

"Nundu, Ralph. Nundu," replied Kenichi patting the other boy's shoulder.

---

Kristy had a scowl firmly etched on her face. Her brother imitated her to perfection.

The Black siblings were both leaning against a wall somewhere in the Potter household. Well, it wasn't their fault that the place was so huge they could get lost in it. Kristy slid down the crimson wall, all the way to the floor and hugged her knees to her chest, just as Orion kicked the floor and grumbled something about how Paige got to be with the adults because _'she couldn't understand what was being said'_, according to their mother. Both siblings hated it when the adults deemed themselves capable of lording it all over them.

They could hear the muffled voices somewhere below them, still discussing the baby-on-the-doorstep issue. Kristy could not tell why the adults always took so long to make decisions. Really, was it so hard to just keep a baby?

Orion huffed at their situation and sat down next to his sister. He had taken a liking to the infant from the very moment he had set eyes on him… that brief moment before Mrs. Weasley squealed excitedly like a little girl and took the child away from him and Kristy, so she could show him off to her husband. Adults! He huffed again.

"Stop that," snapped Kristy suddenly.

"Make me!" replied her brother.

"Orion!"

"Kristy!"

The siblings glared at each other for a few seconds before slumping against the wall again. It was a habit they had picked up from their father… one their mother wasn't too fond of.

The siblings sighed, and waited for the final verdict.

---

It hadn't been long since the three friends had found the coin and the hair, but it sure felt like an eternity. Kenichi had ridden ahead with Áed, while Jack and Ralph marked trees left and right with bright white stripes so they could find their way back. This was uncharted territory for them, and it made them feel uneasy that they were dangerously close to the East side of the island. Despite all the tension, however, Ralph had convinced his cousin of changing the white stripes into glow-in-the-dark stripes. Jack had thought it rather clever, since it would be dark soon.

Until Ralph said he wanted to do it for the sheer fun of it, that is.

Jack sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

Both boys straightened in alarm when Kenichi let out a cry of surprise somewhere ahead of them. None of them dared call out the half-magi's name for fear of attracting some unwanted creature to them. Nope, that simply would not do.

Instead, the black haired boys exchanged a glance and strode as silently as possible to the source of the cry. They had been learning stealth in one of their outdoor classes and it seemed to be paying off… to some extent.

Jack winced when Ralph stepped over a twig and it snapped. Ralph grimaced ruefully and kept going, leaving his younger cousin to glower at the back of his head. Soon, they saw Áed kicking the ground and Kenichi kneeling down on a clearing beside a mound on the ground. A mound with a crop of sandy hair.

"Tancred!" hissed Ralph, quickening his pace.

"How is he?" asked Jack quietly, kneeling beside his cousin. By the look of the tattered robes hanging on to the boy's body, not well.

Kenichi spared them a glance. "He's breathing, if that's what you mean, but I can't wake him up. Let's get him out of here."

Between the three, they were able to load the werewolf onto Áed's saddle and strap him to it so he wouldn't fall off. Kenichi grabbed the reins while Jack shot out one last glow-in-the-dark stripe, to mark the place where Tancred had been found, should the need to come back arose. They started to make their way back when a low growl stopped them.

"Ralph, tell me that was your stomach," whispered Kenichi with a small voice.

The hazel-eyed boy shook his head slowly, and pressed his body against Áed's. The Oris snorted with unease, and shifted his eyes from one bush to another. Kenichi did his best to keep the red horse quiet, but the Oris' insistence did nothing to calm the three conscious boys.

Jack's back grazed one of Áed's black tipped wings, and the horse neighed in surprise, making all three wince. The growling came back… more intense this time.

"What's making that noise?" asked Ralph.

"I honestly don't want to find out…" replied Jack.

But find out, they did.

One immense paw before the other, huge yellowish eyes glowing in the dark, ears flat against its head, and the grace of an aristocrat, a young Nundu stepped slowly into the clearing, its occupants gone deathly quiet. The boys did not even dare exchanging glances for fear of any sudden movements invoking the feline's wrath. Thank the Spirits even Áed was still.

The leopard-like beast, Jack noted, looked mostly annoyed. He tried to remember his Care of Magical Creatures first lessons… he recalled his teacher telling them how the Nundu in the island were not used to contact with humans, so it was only natural that they would feel curious and approach them. He seriously hoped this Nundu only had curiosity in mind and not '_Dinner time!_'. Fat chance.

As the Nundu gave even another growl and got ready to pounce, Áed lost all composure and shot back the way they had come, carrying Tancred on his back and dragging Kenichi along for the ride, leaving Jack and Ralph to bolt after the Oris. Right. Left. Right. Jump. Swipe. Left. They could hear the Nundu crashing against the tightly knit trees, but its body was too big to fit through. The only answer to the animal's predicament was to snap the smaller trees… and so he did. Thankfully, the animal was not mature enough to breathe out any viruses, or they would surely be dead or dying.

Swallowed once again by the dark jungle, Jack was glad for his cousin's idea of sheer fun, because with a Nundu hot on their heels, there would have been no time for looking for the white markings they had imprinted on the trees with a Lumos spell.

A solid black shadow falling from the treetops made him stop, making Ralph brake abruptly.

"Come on! What are you waiting for?" he cried, going back to collect his younger cousin. He grabbed Jack's collar and started pulling him along.

Jack snarled at him. "Stop that! It's Ayax!"

"What?"

"It's Ayax!"

Ralph looked over his cousin's shoulder and noticed a black-horse thing cantering in the darkness, straight to where they were standing. Not far from there, they could see a pair of eyes glowing in the dark, accompanied by a chorus of roars and snapping foliage.

Without waiting for his cousin to register a thing, Jack pulled Ralph out of Ayax's way and, thanking whatever spirit was watching over him that night, swung a leg over the horse's sleek coat and pulled Ralph behind him with a strength he didn't know he possessed. The black Oris bolted behind its red companion and it wasn't long before the Nundu gave up the chase, since they had now left the rainforest behind and entered the forest, which didn't support the Nundu's favoured climate nor the easy-to-snap foliage.

Somewhere along the way, Kenichi had managed to mount Áed and now the two Oris exited the forest with two riders each, three who dismounted the very moment they were close enough to the castle. Panting, they pulled Tancred from Áed's saddle.

"You two look for a professor!" panted Ralph, grabbing Áed's reins as he spoke. "I'll lead these two back to the stables and catch up with you in the Infirmary. I'll get Professor Rego if you don't get to her first!"

Jack and Kenichi nodded, still panting and shaken because of their near escape from the enormous leopard. Each wrapped one of Tancred's arms around their necks, and sprinted as fast as possible through one of the bridges, while Ralph jogged in the opposite direction.

"Why must he be so heavy?" complained Kenichi, referring to Tancred.

Jack faltered a bit before he caught his feet again. "Haven't you noticed how much he eats? I have no idea how he stays so thin. It doesn't help that he's taller than us, either."

Kenichi made a sound of agreement. Out of their little group of four, Tancred was the tallest, standing half a foot (15 cm) taller than Jack and Kenichi. Ralph was taller than the other two, as well, but not nearly as tall as Tancred.

They burst through the door and the first thing they noticed was that dinner was long over with, which meant that someone might have noticed their absence.

They climbed the black staircase best they could and sprinted through one of the corridors.

"Professor Rego! Professor Rego!"

"We found him! We found Tancred!"

"Professor Rego! Anyone!"

A door flew open and they almost crashed into it, Tancred and all, and found themselves face to face with Helen, the History teacher.

"What is the meaning of this racket?" she asked, annoyed. "You boys better… oh, Spirits, it's Tancred!"

"Yes, Helen," said Kenichi, readjusting his hold on Tancred. "We found him unconscious in the rainforest."

"No idea of how long he has been out," added Jack.

Helen hastily closed the door behind her. "Very well, follow me. He must be taken to the hospital wing."

Both boys set out at a jog behind Helen, carrying Tancred between them, before Helen slapped her forehead and pulled out her wand.

"Some witch I turned out to be…" she muttered to herself. "I'm sorry, boys… Oosaki, Jake-I mean… Jack! I'll take it from here," she added, flicking her wand to make Tancred float.

Once relieved of the werewolf's weight, Jack and Kenichi began following their teacher only to be scolded.

"Well, what are you two doing?" she asked. "Go find Nyah! His parents have to be notified."

"Ralph's already doing that, Helen," replied Jack. "He was with us when we found Tancred."

"Very well," huffed Helen, before starting to walk again. "The rainforest… what were you three doing in the rainforest in the first place? I suppose you're aware that this can merit a severe detention? That forest is dangerous… I believe Headmaster Taue made it clear. You could have been killed in there… or worse."

Jack and Kenichi exchanged a glance, both thinking the same thing.

_Nundu._

---

On Sunday morning, Harry lay peacefully on his bed, mainly due to the fact that Ron had not woken up already. He'd been up for a while, and the only thing that kept him confined to his bed was his own laziness. On Sundays there was not a specific time for the owl post to arrive, which meant that Hedwig could be arriving any moment with the news of whether his parents had decided to keep the kid that was abandoned on their doorstep… or not.

He got out of bed and set about to prepare himself for the possibly long wait that his parents would surely put him through.

It was going to be a long day.

---

It took two more days for Tancred to finally wake up. The mediwitch, Ms. Sanan, and her apprentice, a seventh year student, were baffled as to what could be keeping the young werewolf unconscious. After a sleepless night they came to the conclusion that the problem had been an upsurge in magic, similar to an electric shock, and that Tancred's body had not been able to take it. Thankfully, Ms. Sanan allowed his friends in after giving Tancred a full check-up.

"What happened to you?" asked Ralph, standing by the bedside table.

"Grew lots of fur and teeth," replied Tancred bitterly, shooting him a reproachful look.

Ralph scratched his neck guiltily. "About that… sorry. I was just messing with you… I really didn't mean anything by it."

Tancred narrowed his eyes. "Fine. And you did find me, so I guess… apology accepted."

Ralph let out a breath he had been holding. "So what happened?" he asked after a pause.

The sandy haired boy scrunched up his face. "I dunno… I guess I got separated from the pack sometime before the night was over, and I transformed back to human form in the middle of the forest… alone. I wandered all dawn and morning using only my senses 'cause I didn't have my wand but I couldn't find a path. I didn't want to sleep either, because an animal could get me, and I didn't have breakfast because I can't tell poisonous stuff from edible stuff, so I kept wandering all the way into the evening… almost ran into a Graphorn… you know, those huge purple-like creatures with horns that trolls try to ride… anyway, I was starting to think about hiding and waiting to see if someone came by, but I found this weird slab of rock with symbols on it, and I touched it… and then I woke up here."

Jack blinked. "That's it?"

Tancred was about to answer when the door burst open and Nora, Shancus, and Sven came pelting in.

"Tancred!" shrieked the eldest Torrson, sprinting to her brother's bedside and holding said brother in a death grip.

"Hey there, Nora," smiled Tancred, patting his sister's back. "'Lo, Sven."

"What about me?" asked Shancus with a childish pout.

Tancred gave him a look. "Who are you?"

Shancus' face fell. Tancred laughed.

"I'm kidding," he said with a chuckle. "But seriously, who are you?"

"Tancred!"

"Joking, Nora! Sheesh!"

"Sibling love, ey?" commented Kenichi, elbowing Jack slightly.

"Yeah," grinned Jack. "Not that I can relate, but yeah."

"Hey!" said Ralph suddenly. "I just noticed… out of all of us, you're the only one without siblings. How does it feel to be an only child?'

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. How does it feel to have a sibling?"

"Touché."

"Speaking of," said Sven, smacking the back of Tancred's head. "Let's leave the siblings to themselves. I'm not leaving you out of my sight next full moon, Torrson. You scared the crap out of me."

"Ok, Sven," replied Tancred with an eye-roll. "I'll try not to wander."

Jack smirked at his friend and followed Ralph out of the room, thanking the spirits that he did not have a sibling when he heard Nora's muffled yells through the door a moment after they left the room.

"Later, guys," said Sven, lifting his arm in farewell and disappearing down a hall.

"I'm glad my sister's younger that I am," stated Kenichi, wincing at Nora's ranting. "And that she's a sweet and shy girl."

Ralph snorted. "Well, I'm glad I don't have a sister at all… my big brother is enough. Besides, just imagine having to kick the arses of all of a little sister's boyfriends. Though job."

"I wouldn't bother," commented Jack, leading the way to diner. "I would trust my sister to choose wisely."

"That's because you don't have a sister," pointed Shancus, in farewell before he disappeared round a corner. "Any dolt trying to corrupt Lilia will first have to pass through me, so I can decide if the corruption intended is worthwhile."

Jack and Ralph laughed at that.

Once they were about to reach the Dining Hall, Professor Rego burst from the doors and eyed them critically. The kind of look that would make you uncomfortable coming from a teacher.

"I've been looking for you three," she said imperiously, narrowing her light green eyes at them. "I believe I have postponed setting your detention for too long."

"B-b-but, Professor," stammered Ralph.

"Detention?" Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Detention?" echoed Kenichi.

The corners of Rego's mouth twitched. "I'm just teasing, boys. No one would get a detention for finding a missing student, even after going into the forest alone."

The trio visibly relaxed. Rego's posture turned stern.

"I will advise, however, that as well intentioned as the search was, you go looking for an adult's help the next time," she told them. "Though, here's hoping you three don't run into a next time," she added, more to herself than to anyone else. "Enjoy your dinner, gentlemen. The gelato is particularly soft this evening."

The three boys watched their deputy headmistress and DADA teacher with dazed expressions, until the elegant woman began climbing the black marble staircase, then they went into the Hall wondering what on Earth was wrong with the teachers of this school.

First, Headmaster Taue knew more than he should and kept everything a secret. Then, Professor Rego held back a detention. Helen was always forgetting the fact that she was a witch. Swallowraw had a clear love of theatrics, and yet he was the most expressionless character to roam the school. Obex found it amusing when her students failed, and insulted them with nice words. Monsieur Leloup kept pigeons in his classroom, and the Potions Mistress, Professor Amundsen seemed to have an alter ego… that, or maybe she was bipolar.

Either way, Jack loved his new school. He couldn't believe it was November already. In a few weeks they would be free… free to do as they pleased for almost a full month. Then, they would have to come back to school on the first of January for the millennium celebration, which would be followed by yet another free week before classes started again in earnest.

"Hey, guys!" called Aura, when the trio passed her table. "How's Tancred?"

"Come sit with us," invited Isabel, patting the seat beside her. "You four always sit by yourselves."

"So do the three of you," replied Kenichi, sitting beside Amy.

The blue-eyed blonde smiled at him. "Well, it was about time we joined forces, don't you think?"

Ralph smiled goofily as he sat in front of Amy. Jack shook his head at his cousin's obvious infatuation, and sat beside Aura.

"Tancred's fine, by the way," said Kenichi, reaching for his food. "An upsurge in magic, or something that sounded like that."

"And how's Billy?" asked Isabel, brushing one of her twin pigtails with her fingers. "Is he getting adopted?"

"It seems," replied Jack, munching on a baked potato. "We haven't got any news from him since the pigeon. I take that as a good sign."

"Talking about adoption," said Aura suddenly. "Did you see today's news?"

"Nope," answered Ralph. "Haven't got a subscription."

"Harry Potter has a new brother," explained Aura. "His parents adopted him this weekend. The article said the kid was left on their doorstep. They're naming him Ethan."

"Amazing, eh?" said Amy, spooning her ice cream. "How that Potter kid survived the Killing Curse…" her voice trailed away into nothing as she caught sight of Jack. "Um… s-sorry…"

Jack shrugged. "I had nothing to do with it… my father must have had his reasons for trying to kill Potter. I never questioned him."

"Um, Jack…" started Isabel uncertainly. "Sorry for asking, but… didn't you, um… ever feel bad about what… what your father did?"

Jack bit his lip. Kenichi and Ralph exchanged a glance. Aura and Amy stared at him with curiosity. Isabel looked at him expectantly.

"I…" said Jack uncertainly. "How to explain this…"

"'_Lo, Father," greeted six-year old Jack._

_Tom almost dropped his quill. Almost. "Spirits, brat, don't you knock?"_

_The small boy grinned sheepishly, just before he crossed the Dark Lord's study and plopped down on the armchair before the Lord himself. "Sorry… just thought that, since you happily barge into my room when you feel like it, that I would return the favour."_

_Tom raised an eyebrow at the boy's boldness, and set down his quill. "Oh, ha-ha, very witty…" he commented sarcastically._

_Jack cocked his head at the man. "You know, mum says sarcasm is the lowest form of wit."_

_The Dark Lord sat back on his chair. "Still a form of wit to me."_

"_What were you doing?" the kid asked suddenly._

"_What are __**you**__ doing here?" countered the adult._

"_What?" replied Jack with an innocent look. "Can't a son visit the father he never sees? What were you doing?"_

"_Scanning some reports from Death Eaters," said Tom, massaging his forehead with his fingers. "Much better than meeting them, but decisively more boring. Just had a raid last week… they're out of control."_

"_A raid?" echoed the sapphire-eyed child, with something akin to fear and alarm._

_Tom gave him a slow nod._

_Jack looked down at his hands. "How many died?"_

_The Dark Lord frowned, and sat straighter when he detected the tone in his heir's voice. "You're not feeling sorry for the Muggles, are you?"_

_The boy looked up at once. "Of course I'm not, Father, but still…"_

_The adult wizard looked expectantly at the lad._

_Jack turned to look at the window. "I mean… is killing them going to solve anything? What if it was our race being killed?"_

_The Dark Lord joined his fingers at the tips. "I see."_

_Jack looked up in alarm. "No, no! I didn't mean it like that, Father! I…"_

_Voldemort lifted a hand to quiet his heir. "You are an intelligent boy, you were bound to have questions. I must say, I am relieved that you express concern now and not once you were older. It will give you time to assimilate the information."_

_The Dark Heir locked his eyes with his father's. The man's eyes had once been brown, but his involvement with magic now caused them to alternate between red and an intense green (very few people had seen his eyes that colour), hence, genetics dictated that Jack's eyes would change colour, too. Both pairs of eyes were now green._

"_War… is a complicated thing," he began. "In each war there are obviously more than two sides, but for time's sake we'll only focus on the Light side and the Dark side. Tell me, brat, do you think I'm evil?"_

_Jack stared at the odd question. "No. You're my father… you've taken care of me, how could I ever think of you as evil?"_

"_Curious…" commented Voldemort, directing his gaze out the window. "It is the Light side's belief that I am the embodiment of evil. Can you tell me why?"_

"_Because…" said Jack slowly. "Your actions… clash with their ideals?"_

"_Quite," replied the Dark Lord dryly, his eyes still trained on the glass panes. "As much as I respect Dumbledore, I believe him to be a blind fool. He lives in a world of black and white, and is too preoccupied with Britain to dig deeper and expose scenarios that could bring down the Light side's morale. Mind you, that's most of Wizarding Britain."_

_Jack blinked. "Ok… you've lost me. What does this have to do with Muggles?"_

"_It has everything to do with them," said Voldemort, lifting an eyebrow. "You asked… what if it was our race being killed? Dumbledore believes that it is about time the Magical world is introduced to the non-Magical world; he believes we will be accepted as equals in no time. What Dumbledore is not aware of, however, is that the introduction has already been made… and it did not go as smooth as he thought it could go. Lemuria has been a witness of that. This continent is no longer a fully magical place."_

_Jack shot up in his seat. "What do you mean it's not? Um… sir?"_

_Tom rolled his eyes. "It is nothing big… but it's a start, and I'm not liking it. Somehow, the information of the existence of a fully magical continent leaked into the underworld of the non-magical world, and Muggles are not fond of what they cannot understand. They fear it. They destroy it." He sighed lightly. "They are inside our world now. There are non-magical settlements in almost all of Alagaësia… magical folk are feared, banished, shunned out… locked away or killed if they are lucky. The less fortunate ones get their magic blocked and are sold as slaves."_

_Jack opened and closed his mouth several times (it irked him that his father smirked with amusement) before catching his voice. "Magi-, slav-… I thought slavery was abolished?" he said at last._

_Tom raised his eyes to the ceiling at his heir's ignorance. "In theory, yes, it was abolished. In practice, it never was. The Muggles' argument is that no human being should be enslaved… they say the law doesn't mention anything about witches and wizards-"_

"_You mean they don't even see us as human?" cut Jack. His father glared lightly at the interruption. The boy didn't pay any heed. "I mean… fine, prejudice I can take. But slavery? That's quite a stretch, Father. Are you sure about that?"_

_Voldemort tapped his desk impatiently. "As sure as I killed my own father. The non-magical settlements are spreading. They destroy small magical towns and villages so they can move in. As you can see, I am merely, and I quote, returning the favour," he paused for a couple of seconds, "except for the moving in part."_

_Jack leaned back on his armchair. It just couldn't be true… there was no way on Earth that Muggles would do something so vile. His father had to be lying… Voldemort needed his heir to cast away all doubt and mercy if Jack was to inherit the Dark Throne. Which better way to do that than filling the boy's head with lies? He suddenly felt very small… so small, in fact, that for the first time in his short life he feared his own father, suddenly not just a tall man, but an imposing Dark wizard. He feared the world that lay just outside of his house… but what he feared the most was that sooner or later he would be expected to face that world, and that he would have to lead others through it._

But Lord Voldemort had not been lying. He told his peers so, and they gave him the same doubtful look that he himself had given his father all those years before.

"Listen, guys," he tried to explain. "I was there, ok? I watched them kill and I nearly got killed myself. I just _can't _feel sorry for them."

The other kids exchanged worried glances. Jack rolled his eyes and shook his head with defeat. "Just forget about it… I'll see you later," he added, standing up and making his way out of the Dining Hall without looking back. He knew he was putting his new friends in a very difficult position, and he couldn't help but be amazed at how well they seemed to be taking the fact that he was destined to be a cold blooded killer. People like that were not easily found, and that made him appreciate them even more. He began walking aimlessly… lost in his own thoughts…

"I hear you found your friend," said a voice.

Jack turned around and saw Ralph's brother leaning on a wall. "Yes, we did, Manfred."

The older boy narrowed his eyes. "It's Bloor to you, Riddle. Show some respect for a change."

Jack frowned. "Talks the guy who keeps bumping into me and pushing me around in the corridors."

Manfred separated himself from the wall. "That's different. I still call you by your surname, don't I?"

Jack narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What do you want? It's not as if we're in talking terms."

Manfred stepped closer with a menacing air. "I want you to stay away from my brother."

"I'm not getting away from Ralph, he's my friend," declared the boy. "And to some extent my family, too. As are you."

Manfred looked sour. "You are no family of mine, nor his. Having the same ancestor means nothing. Not to the Bloors."

Jack tightened his fists. "And you're telling me this because…?"

"Because the Riddles are a disgrace to the Slytherin bloodline-"

"What!?"

"Half-bloods! That's what you are!"

"It's not as if we chose to be half-bloods, _Bloor!_ What's the problem with being half-blood, anyway? We're no less powerful."

Manfred seemed to be struggling with himself. "True," he conceded. "But it gives you no right to inheritance."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just that!" snarled the hazel-eyed boy. "How come Sheridan's descendants get Dark Lord while Sebastian's get Mafia Lord?"

Jack looked perplexed. "Ok, Bloor. Stop, rewind, play. _What!?"_

Manfred growled. "Your family doesn't deserve the power it was given. My father is older than yours; he should have been the one to receive Slytherin's skills, not yours! I should have been the Dark Heir, not the pathetic excuse of an heir that you are," he finished bitterly.

Jack looked at Manfred incredulously. "Did you just call me pathetic? You should listen to yourself, Bloor. You might even learn something."

The older boy reached for his wand, which Jack noticed was green, but did not draw it. "Just stay away from my brother, if you know what's good for you."

"Is that a threat?" growled Jack reaching for his own wand.

"You bet your magic it is," replied Manfred, taking a duelling stance.

"So we're past the shoves, now?" asked Jack mockingly, imitating his estranged relative. "Wondered how long it would take…"

"Don't flatter yourself, Riddle," snarled Manfred. "_Diffindo!_"

Jack dodged but the spell still ripped his midnight blue robes. "You were aiming that at my neck! Do you want to kill me or something?"

Manfred smirked. "I trusted you to dodge it."

Jack snarled. "_Suspendo!_"

"_Protego!_" cried Manfred in slight alarm, producing a shiny white shield made of light that vanished the moment Jack's curse hit it, taking Jack's curse with it, mainly because the curse had lacked strength. "Talk about killing!"

Jack smiled darkly. "I trusted you to dodge it."

Now Manfred snarled at the younger boy. "That was a Dark curse for hanging by the neck! Where did you learn that?"

"The Dark Lord taught me," replied Jack with a teasing smirk. "You know… my father."

"The half-blood dog, you mean?" Manfred teased back.

Jack saw red. "_Fissio Ossis!_"

Manfred jumped away from the path of the blue beam of light, allowing it to shatter a window instead of the bones in his right arm, before turning back on Jack. "_Contraho!_"

"_Reddo!_" cried Jack, reflecting Manfred's Dark curse for shrinking internal organs back at him. He knew about that curse in theory from his Dark Arts class, but had never actually gotten around to practising it, even though it was among the most basic Dark curses. "_Reducto!_"

Amazingly, Manfred had dodged both the rebounded curse and the second curse. The kid was fast, and it was clear that he would be an incredible and deadly duellist one day. "_Infirmo!_"

Unfortunately for Jack, he still had a lot to practice that Manfred had already mastered, or had at least achieved a decent version of the actual spell. Like the shield charm that had failed Jack when he had faced Durza, so it did not come as a surprise when Manfed's hex went through the shield and a weakened version of the original hex pushed the youth all the way to the wall, where he slid to the floor, feeling very tired all of a sudden.

"Wha-what did you do to me?" asked Jack struggling to keep his eyelids open, never mind raising his wand again to counterattack.

Manfred smirked as he approached. "Infirmo. The weakening hex. It saps the body of energy and still leaves the victim conscious, so they can barely move but are aware of everything happening around them. I got it down this week… dying to try it on someone, too."

Jack had a hard time bringing Manfred's gloating face into focus. "Oh."

The older boy pocketed his wand. "Since it is rather obvious that you are unable to move, I declare myself the winner." He narrowed his eyes. "Stay away from my brother. Until next time, Riddle."

In his weakened state, all Jack could do was listening to Manfred's footsteps fade in the distance while he vowed to himself to never be defeated by him again. _Ever_. He would prove to that snobby pure-blood that he, as a half-blood, was worthy of the title of Slytherin's last direct heir, even if he had to work harder than ever before to do it.

Painfully slowly he managed to point his own wand at himself. "_Finite Incantatem_," he muttered under his breath, instantly feeling as if a huge weight had been taken off him. A little dazed, he stood up and brushed imaginary dust from his robes before fixing the rip on them with a _Reparo_.

He was going to be hurting all over in the morning.


	14. This is War!

**A/N: Finally! Another chapter down! 6642 words heehee I'm proud of it… not as proud as I am of chapter 9, but still… and I feel like I'm finally walking into the heart of the story, you know, the moment when everything starts making sense hahaha :P**

**Thanks for the reviews!!**

--- º --- º --- º ---

**This is War!**

Harry stared at Ethan's photo and smiled to himself. The boy could very well pass for Lily and James' son, with the light coloured skin and tuft of black hair. Unfortunately, the photo currently displayed on the cover of _The Daily Prophet_ was black and white, so he couldn't make out the eye colour. The baby was blinking owlishly at the camera from Lily's arms, as she cooed at him and James stood behind her with a wide grin on his face.

Hermione cooed beside him. "Harry, your brother is so cute."

Ron rolled his eyes and stabbed an olive. "Just because he's a baby… remind me, why did I let you sit with us?"

The girl narrowed her eyes. "You didn't. Harry asked me to, like the gentleman he is… unlike others."

Ron glared back. "I can be a gentleman, too!" he stated though a mouthful of mashed potato.

Hermione grimaced at the sight. "Yes, I'm sure…"

Harry snickered at them and folded up the newspaper. Setting it aside, he picked up his fork and began to eat. Far more decently than Ron was.

Now that it was November the temperature had gone down considerably and frost had begun to settle in. November also marked the beginning of Quidditch season, with the first match being that very Saturday and Harry's first.

Wood had been working him to his limits, but still refused to show the way Harry played to the rest of the school. He was intent on winning the Quidditch Cup this year and believed Harry was the key to winning it.

Just then, Snape walked by their table without sparing them a glance. Was he limping? Harry pointed it out to his two friends, making Hermione frown and Ron shrug nonchalantly.

"Why do you think he's limping?" Hermione asked Harry, as soon as Snape was out of earshot.

"No idea," replied Harry. "I'll ask Sirius later… maybe he'll know something. Do you think it has anything to do with that three-headed dog? I wouldn't put it past him."

"But why would he go there?" said Hermione with furrowed brows.

"You said so yourself," pointed Ron. "That monster is guarding something. Maybe he wants it."

"What could possibly be worth facing that thing?" Harry asked.

Ron and Hermione shrugged, before going back to their meals.

---

Harry tapped his fingers on his kneecap. He was waiting sitting crossed-legged in front of Sirius' office, waiting for his godfather to show up. He had a free period before Transfiguration, and while (somehow) Ron and Hermione had agreed on visiting Hagrid, he had preferred to speak to Sirius about Snape as soon as possible. There was something that smelt bad about the whole situation.

His only problem was finding a way of asking Sirius what he wanted to know without giving away the fact that he, Ron, Hermione, and Neville knew about the three-headed dog and that it was standing guard over something.

"Harry!" called Sirius down the hall. "What are you doing here, kiddo? I thought you would be using your free period to think up ways of pranking Snivellus!"

Harry smiled and stood up. "I would be, except the whole thing with Ethan joining the family's got me all shaken up… in a good way."

Sirius smiled back. He took his keys from his cloak and opened the door to his office. "Come in! Come in! It's warmer inside… the bloody chill has already penetrated the halls. Nasty weather. Would you like anything to drink? A butterbeer, perhaps?"

"I'm not supposed to be able to drink that yet," chuckled Harry, taking a seat in front of Sirius' desk. His godfather smirked.

"I won't tell if you don't."

"Done."

"That's my boy!"

Harry grinned and looked around his godfather's office, while Sirius went looking for the butterbeers. The walls were painted a deep crimson, the curtains on the windows were pulled open, useless trinkets were mixed with Dark Detectors, a bookcase held about fifty books on defence and Dark creatures, framed pictures of Sirius' family hung on a wall.

"So…" called Sirius from somewhere in the back of his office, "what do you think of Ethan? Cute little fellow isn't he?"

Harry smirked knowingly. "Stop pretending, Sirius, you're just happy 'cause you have another young mind to corrupt."

Sirius gave his trademark bark-like laugh, before returning to his desk with two bottles of butterbeer. "Alas!" he sighed dramatically, uncorking both bottles. "You have discovered my ulterior motives! Cheers!"

Shaking his head at his godfather, Harry reached for the offered butterbeer, before replying, "Cheers!"

They both drank to Ethan with mischievous smiles on their faces. Lily would go berserk if she knew that James had given butterbeer to Harry before Sirius offered it to him… he preferred to keep that sliver of information to himself, though. Knowing Sirius, he would probably blackmail him with it later in life.

After a pause of pleasant silence in which Sirius had drank half of his bottle, Sirius's voice brought Harry back to Earth.

"Harry, there's something I have to tell you."

Harry cocked his head at his godfather. He detected the unusual serious tone under the calm one. He sat up straighter. "What is it?"

Sirius fidgeted a little with his butterbeer before finally looking up at his godson. "I was just talking to Dumbledore, and… well, it seems I'm not going to be teaching next year."

"But why?" cried Harry in slight alarm. "He couldn't have kicked you out! You're an excellent teacher!"

"It has nothing to do with that, kiddo. Dumbledore was actually very disappointed that I have to go," reassured Sirius with a smile. He glanced at the wall on which the pictures of his family hung. "It's Kristy."

Harry frowned at the picture Sirius was looking at. "Yeah, I know that's Kristy. I've known her all my life."

Sirius suddenly burst out laughing. Harry sent him a reproachful look.

"No, you silly boy!" chided Sirius with a huge grin. "Kristy is starting at Hogwarts next year… the board of governors won't let me teach my own daughter. They think it may lead to favouritism. It seems Lucius Malfoy is concerned about his son's grades."

Harry raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Lucius Malfoy thinks that you'll give Kristy higher grades and let her skip detention just because she's your daughter?"

His godfather smiled in reply.

"Unbelievable!" exclaimed Harry. "And I thought that I should be concerned about Snape!"

Sirius' smile went away in a flash. "Why would you be concerned about him?"

"He was limping this morning," replied Harry. "Didn't you notice?"

Sirius' face darkened. "How did you notice he was limping? He covered it up rather well."

Harry's face lit up. "So you know what happened to him."

"No."

"You're not convincing anyone."

"Why do you care, anyway?"

Harry's face fell. 'Here goes,' he thought to himself. 'He's suspicious… this was a bad idea.'

"Um…"

Sirius gave him a pointed look and then glanced from left to right, as if he were looking for intruders. He pulled out his wand and cast a couple of privacy charms. This was going to be good.

He beckoned his godson closer to him, and began to whisper. "Harry, listen carefully. Do you know why is it forbidden to enter the corridor on the third floor this year?"

'Because there's a giant three-headed dog guarding the entrance,' he replied in his head. Instead, he answered, "Um…"

"Harry," cut Sirius, "I know you're trustworthy, so I will tell you something about this whole thing, but you have to remain quiet." He took a deep breath. "There is something of great importance being kept at the school this year… so important that it could bring Voldemort back."

Harry's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yes… Snape was a close follower of his, so why not give it a try and end up in that monster's good graces?"

Harry gulped. "You think Snape's trying to bring Voldemort back? But if he comes back… he'll kill me… isn't that the reason why I've lived under the Fidelius Charm all along?"

Sirius sighed tiredly. "One can only guess, kiddo… but Snape's been into the Dark Arts far longer than it's comfortable to assume. I only wish Dumbledore wouldn't trust him so much."

"What can possibly bring Voldemort back?" asked Harry, perplexed.

Sirius cast him an uneasy glance. "I've already said enough. Knowing too much about the whole business might put you in danger, Harry."

"But-"

"No buts," cut Sirius. "Now, let's go back to a more pleasant topic. Have your parents sent you any letters?"

Harry sighed with resignation, but answered anyway. "Yeah, I got one last night. Did you know they named Ethan after Alan?"

"Nope, your dad failed to mention that…"

"Ethan Alan Potter, they named him… I can't wait to meet him!"

His godfather chuckled. "Did they manage to find when he was born?"

"Yup! October the twelfth."

---

While grumbling unintelligibly under his breath, Jack decided to check on Tancred one last time before going to bed. His glare was directed to an invisible enemy that walked in front of him… an enemy that appeared to know the way to the Hospital Wing better than he did, because he got there faster than he expected. Somehow, he was not surprised to see Kenichi and Ralph sitting at both sides of Tancred's bed. The sandy haired boy was munching on a sandwich and sipping from a glass of lemonade… not surprising, either.

"Whoa, what happened to you?" cried Ralph, as soon as he saw the younger boy.

Jack sent him a mild glare. "Manfred happened to me."

"Manny? What does my brother have to do with anything?"

Jack started at the nickname, but said nothing about it. "He very expressively demanded that I stay away from you. Bloody fool wanted to kill me."

Kenichi and Tancred exchanged a frown.

Ralph looked at the annoyed green-eyed boy as if he had grown a second head. "Why would he do that?"

Jack grimaced. "It would appear that there's a family feud in the Slytherin bloodline between the Bloors and the Riddles… something to do with inheritance."

"Never heard of it," stated Ralph.

"Believe me, it's there," replied the currently green-eyed boy. He headed for the sink and grimaced at his reflection. His reflection grimaced back. His skin looked a bit paler than usual, which made his eyes and black hair stand out against it, more so because his hair had suddenly decided to go into Potter-mode and stand out in no apparent direction. His robes were no longer torn but they were wrinkled.

"That's quite the appearance, dear," said the mirror annoyingly. "Did you just wake up? That's rather irresponsible-"

"None of your business," growled Jack, splashing some water on his face and using it to make his hair a bit more presentable.

"Now, that's better, isn't it?" asked the mirror.

Jack frowned and after a second of going over it, he splashed water on the mirror as well. The mirror spluttered. "How rude!"

The boy gave it a devilish grin and returned to his friends. He directed his gaze to Tancred. "When are you being released from this place?"

Tancred shrugged. "Tomorrow night, probably. Which is good 'cause tomorrow is Thursday, and I don't want to miss Swallowraw's Friday class."

Kenichi's eyebrows shot upwards. "_You _wanna go to class?"

"Just to Swallowraw's. Hey… did you know Mr. Tiny left the day I got lost? Ms. Sanan told me… and she also said that he's coming back for New Year's."

"What!?" cried Jack and Kenichi at the same time.

Tancred nodded absentmindedly and bit into his sandwich. An uncomfortable silence followed.

Ralph cleared his throat. "If you guys don't mind, I would very much appreciate it if we could go back to the conversation we were having before my cousin dearest arrived."

"Be my guest!" declared Jack, throwing his arms in the air. "By all means, do not let my presence stop you. What were you talking about, anyway?"

"The stone I touched," replied Tancred. "I was telling them what it looked like; like a metallic tombstone… it was eerie. It was very, very thick, and it was kind of stuck on the side of a cliff."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "A cliff in the middle of the jungle? There was nothing like that in the place where we found you."

The Canadian boy rolled his green eyes. "Trust me, it's there. It just sort of shows up… I don't know how to explain it."

"Like most things in this place, actually," agreed Kenichi. "Magic is just confusing."

"Tell me about it," Tancred rolled his eyes. He stuffed the last of his sandwich in his mouth. "M' ah-ired…"

"What?" said the other boys at the same time.

Tancred swallowed. "I'm tired… I'm going to turn in for the night."

The other three nodded and cleared the room after saying their good nights. Kenichi sighed when the door closed behind them and they began walking to their common room. "Did you guys notice any stone when we found him in the forest?"

Both Jack and Ralph shook their heads in denial. "Why?"

Kenichi frowned. "I don't know… there's not a lot of things that can cause you to black out just like that… or so magically powerful that they will paralyze your magic for a while if you touch them."

Jack cocked his head in thought. "Well, this island isn't exactly one to hold average magical items, judging from what we've seen."

"You have a point there."

The Japanese boy grumbled. "Don't you feel like we're missing something? I don't think it was mere coincidence that Mr. Tiny left the very day Tancred disappeared."

"Neither do I," agreed Ralph. "Manny has told me some nasty stories about that man… I don't know if I should believe him, but even my mom and dad seem wary of him. They both studied in Ingoldstadt, see? Desmond Tiny has been coming to the school even before that…"

"Which kind of stories?" asked Jack with morbid interest.

Ralph made a movement between an involuntary shudder and a shrug. "The kind of stories that will make you glance over your shoulder every few minutes."

Kenichi lifted his eyebrows. "Like?"

Ralph groaned. "They say he takes pleasure in people's agony and tragedies. There are stories that say that he has always been alive, because there's nothing human about him. That he seats through natural disasters as if he were watching a show… that he studies the dead and the dying to amuse himself, and that if he's not satisfied he will provoke more deaths to _'keep the fun going_'."

Jack raised an eyebrow.

Ralph gulped and shrank away from the shadows. "There's a legend that says he can control everyone's destiny… he can travel through time and create situations that bring people together or tear them apart… he has created wars that way; never interfering in people's decisions but always present… whispering to them... and if you cross him… well, he might turn your life into a miniature hell."

"Do you actually believe this?" frowned Jack.

"Is there any proof?" asked Kenichi.

The three boys paused in front of the door that led into their common room. Ralph tore his eyes away from his friends.

"There's no proof that he can't do it," he answered cryptically.

Kenichi and Jack exchanged a glance. Without looking at his friends again, Ralph stepped into the common room and mumbled a feeble 'good night' before entering his room.

The only ones in the First Year common room aside from themselves were Neema, Otieno and Aaron, so Jack and Kenichi had no problem going into their own room silently. Once they were inside, Kenichi stopped by his bed and Jack leaned on the closed door.

Kenichi took a breath. "You don't believe what Ralph said about Mr. Tiny being able to manipulate people's destinies, do you?" he whispered.

Jack gazed at the dark window between their beds and felt a chill run down his spine. He knew it had nothing to do with the cold November wind. "I don't know…" he whispered back. "I don't want to believe it, but… there's something about that man that I can't place… something… _evil._"

---

He squinted at the slab of shiny rock before him. It was the way it had been described to him… dark grey, very thick, shaped as a tombstone, and lodged in the mountainside. He studied the symbols very closely… definitely runes. Unrecognizable runes.

The lightened tip of his wand cast a respectable halo of light around both him and the tablet. Pulling out parchment, quill and ink, he settled down on the ground and began copying each and every rune on the rock as fast as possible. Occasionally, his eyes would dart around him and into the dark jungle before focusing back on his work. An encounter with a grown Nundu would not do, though the animals were the last things in his mind that night. There could be something far more terrible lurking in the shadows… something, or someone, he would never be able to outrun, nor outsmart.

When he was done with the very last rune copied almost to perfection, he closed the bottle of ink and put it away along with the quill. It had taken him roughly fifteen minutes to copy down everything, which meant that now everything outside the halo of light was pitch black. He snatched the parchment and wand from the ground and started back the way he had come. Surprisingly, he met no one and nothing all the way back to the common rooms, and, finally, his dorm. Peaking in, he made sure his roommate was fast asleep before going in.

He rolled up the parchment (surely the ink would be dry by now), and stowed it away in his desk. He would share the information the next day.

---

"Jack, I'll say this the nicest way possible," began Kenichi slowly. "Why in the sweet name of a statue of a hippogriff in underwear did you go back to the jungle last night?"

The boy being questioned shrugged. "Felt compelled."

"Compelled!?" exploded Ralph. The other three shushed him. Ralph continued to speak in a lower tone. "There are Nundu in that jungle, you idiot!"

Jack raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Tancred blinked at him. "But why would you feel compelled? Looking for spooky slabs of rock in a dark jungle in the middle of the night isn't exactly popular, y'know?"

"Fine! I don't know why I went back, ok?" admitted Jack. He gave the sandy haired boy an exasperated look. He had chosen Thursday night to speak to his friends about his excursion, because Tancred would be back. They were sitting in his and Kenichi's room, where they knew they wouldn't be bothered.

"Did you at least find something?" asked Kenichi.

Jack stood up and went to his desk. He pulled out the roll of parchment and showed it to them. "I copied down the runes. I'd like to know what it says."

Tancred frowned at the scripture. "Probably _'Danger! High voltage!'_ or something of that sort."

"Lame, Torrson," said Ralph, though both he and Kenichi were smiling. Jack shook his head at him.

"We have a free period after Swallowraw's class," he stated. "I'll go to the library to check out some Ancient Runes books, you coming?"

"I am," said Kenichi. "Ah, and they're coming, too," he added, pointing at the remaining boys.

"Ho! Wait… I-"

"But-"

"You were going to say yes, anyway," shrugged Kenichi.

Ralph and Tancred exchanged looks. "Yeah, we were."

Jack nodded. "So tomorrow it is."

'Tomorrow' found Jack in the Dark Arts classroom sitting beside Amy Cooper: the blond and blue-eyed witch from New Zealand, and being lectured on pin-pointing the element each of them were to Wield.

"… other ways include a look into your personalities. This is the simplest way of telling which element is compatible with you. However, it is not very accurate, especially when the wielder is your age."

Jack sighed and rested his chin on his folded arms. He didn't like lectures. Sure, they were better than actually writing but they bored him out of his mind. Besides, Ralph's stories about Mr. Tiny were still turning in the back of his mind, and he couldn't concentrate. The Dark Arts teacher was still rambling.

"A Waterwielder," he was saying, "is most known for their adaptability to new situations. Water represents calm, easy going personalities. Unless they're angry, of course. Waterwielders take the longest to anger… think of a Tsunami. It takes some time to form, but when it strikes the consequences are devastating. You do not want a Waterwielder angry at you."

Jack glanced at the girl sitting beside him. Amy struck him as the water type of person. He had gotten to know her better in the last few days, since now their two little groups seemed to have merged. Aura, Isabel, and Amy were like the group's conscience now, though that did not mean that they would include them in all of their activities as of yet.

"Earth," continued Professor Swallowraw, "is represented by strength and stubbornness. An Earthwielder is firm; an Earthwielder waits and listens. It is also unpredictable… no one ever knows when an earthquake will strike, for example. Although Earth is usually viewed as useless by the other three elements because it is hard to work with, when wielded correctly Earth has more chances of being victorious in duels than the others. Keep that in mind, future Earthwielders.

"Fire is entrancing, passionate, aggressive, and unpredictable. It is also dangerous since it can consume even its caster… in more than one way. Like the other three elements, fire also has its opposite poles. A Firewielder can be from merry and warm, to hypnotizing and tricky… but they can also be snappy and violent if poked in the right places, or fed with the right fuel… not to mention, difficult to tame.

"As for Air, or Wind, the personality trait that stands out the most is lightness of being. Airwielders are commonly optimistic and playful… hyper in some cases… although, I would like to see a tornado or a blizzard with those characteristics. Air can range from a comforting breeze, to a treacherous hurricane when angered. The strength of Wind is usually underestimated because it cannot be seen, but if anything, that makes Air more dangerous.

"As you may have noticed, all four elements are highly unpredictable and not at all easy to control. There are many reasons why any one element would appear to be more powerful than the others, but I beg you remember that the four coexisting in harmony and balance makes our world. They are the four pillars that keep the earth together, which means that, in duels, what makes the difference between victory and defeat is the skill of the Wielder, and not the element itself."

The sound of Amy's quill distracted Jack from the lecture. She was scribbling something on a piece of parchment.

'_Bored?'_ said the little note she passed to him.

Jack grabbed his own quill. _'Somewhat.'_

She smirked when she read his answer. Amy then scribbled something else and passed back the note.

'_You strike me as a Water or an Earth type.'_

Jack's eyes widened slightly. _'Really? I see you as a Water type, too… but, anyway, what's so watery or earthly about me?'_

Amy disguised her sniggers as a cough when she read his reply.

'_Well, you're too docile to be firey, and not playful enough to be windy. But you are stubborn and determined; that's Earth. And I can tell you don't anger easily; that's Water. What's so watery about me, then?'_

'_Weeeell… nothing seems to remove that calm smile on your face. And your presence is kind of soothing… I don't know how else to say it.'_

Amy's cheeks acquired a nice pink tinge, and Jack smirked when he noticed. He took her reply.

'_Thank you, Jack ü.'_

He smiled at her.

Once the class was over, the four boys got together and made their way to the library. It took them little over half an hour to find any books that might be useful in translating the runes on the parchment. To Jack's dismay, and the frustration of the other three, none of the books they had collected had similar runes to the ones on the tablet: the runes contained in the books were all composed by straight lines, but the runes they were looking for should be slightly circular… like spirals, even.

Ralph gagged and threw a wine coloured book on top of the pile of discarded books. Jack looked up from the passage he was reading and quirked an eyebrow at him.

"I give up!" declared the hazel-eyed boy. "I can't even understand half of what I'm reading!"

Kenichi and Tancred looked up from their own books and shared a glance. "Maybe we should take a break?"

Jack marked the page of the book he had been reading and nodded. "I like how that sounds… and I think it's almost lunch-time, too."

"Oh, goody," commented Tancred. "Let's go, then." He stood up, swung his bag over his shoulder, and began to walk out of the library without glancing back. The other three watched his back, until the sandy haired boy realized he was not being followed. He turned around and cocked his head. "What are you waiting for?"

The other three burst out laughing, only to be scolded by the librarian and rushed out of the library. They left the place behind with stifled sniggers but hardly said a word to each other as they walked to the Dining Hall.

"Hey, Ralph!" called a voice from a hallway. It was Manfred. "Come over, I have to talk to you… dad sent you a message."

Ralph raised his eyebrows at his elder brother, and Jack narrowed his eyes at him. He had not forgotten their little duel and Manfred's insults. The hazel-eyed boy turned back to his friends.

"I'll meet you later," he promised, before turning around and following his brother, who didn't acknowledge any of the other three.

In the Dining Hall, Amy, Isabel and Aura spotted the three boys and waved them over to their table. The chatter in the Hall was louder and more cheerful than it had been in the last week… it seemed Mr. Tiny's absence brought back life to the school.

"Where's Ralph?" asked Isabel.

"His brother wanted to talk to him," answered Kenichi with a shrug. "Something about their dad."

The six began to eat earnestly after that, with little to no conversation between them, due to the fact that their mouths were busy chewing. Jack was about to bite into his steak when Ralph showed up in a huff and collapsed unceremoniously in the seat they had saved for him.

"The weak link in the chain, he called me!" complained the youngest Bloor to his friends, loading his plate with food rather savagely. "Can you believe it?"

"Well, you are rather pathetic," replied Jack, making the others snigger.

"Argh, go suck a lemon, Riddle," scoffed Ralph, before viciously stabbing a mushroom and chewing on it more fiercely than it was necessary, only to remember he didn't like mushrooms and spitting it out almost immediately, making the others snort and giggle into their drinks.

"Bloody hell! I hate those things! But seriously!" continued Ralph, ignoring his friends' amusement. "You're right Jack, there is a family feud between the Bloors and the Riddles. Manfred ratted me out, and my dad's not happy that I, and I quote, 'fell for a Riddle's charismatic bunch of lies and follow him around like a lost puppy', I mean… Hell!"

"So, you're the weak link in the chain for being friends with Jack?" asked Aura with a nonplussed look.

"Yeah…" sulked Ralph, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'm supposed to hate him, see? My brother says there will be consequences if we stay friends."

"Consequences?" echoed Kenichi.

"What did you tell him?" said Jack.

Ralph gave his audience a triumphal smirk. "I told him he can shove his consequences where the sun don't shine."

The table burst out laughing.

---

Headmaster Taue looked up from his work when his Maths teacher barged into the room without so little as a 'hello', book in hand. The first he noticed was that she was in a rage. The second, that she was pulling Jack Riddle behind her by his arm. The third, that the boy was sopping wet. "Good evening, Professor," he greeted dryly, before glancing at the boy. "Riddle."

"Headmaster!" she shrieked, roughly pushing the scowling boy in front of her. "This… this little _imp! _He has flooded the dungeons!"

"I didn't do it!" retorted the boy savagely.

"Don't you lie, Riddle! I saw you coming from them!"

"I'm not lying! Coming out of the dungeons doesn't prove anything!"

"Oh! I will eat my head!"

"You just want me in trouble!"

"The nerve!"

"Silence," called Taue steadily. Both student and teacher looked at him. "Did I hear correctly? Professor Obex, are you telling me that a first year student managed to flood the dungeons?"

"Precisely! Everything is under water! It has even begun to leak to the upper levels!"

Taue lifted his eyebrows. "Impressive."

Obex was shocked into silence.

Riddle frowned at the professor, before addressing Taue. "Headmaster, the dungeons are indeed flooded but I had nothing to do with it! Water just came from somewhere, and I had to run so I wouldn't drown down there! Professor Obex was passing by and she assumed I was guilty because I came running through the door."

"You were the only person down there," retorted Obex. "The evidence points to you!"

The Riddle heir was about to retort when Taue interrupted.

"Professor Obex… I am aware that your quarters are located in the dungeons. As a Waterwielder myself, I will see to it personally that everything is recovered and safe. If you excuse us, I will speak to Mr. Riddle about his detention."

Jack felt his stomach flip. "But, Headmaster!" This was so bloody unfair! He had only been researching!

"Silence, Riddle," ordered Taue. Obex gave the frustrated student a smug smile of triumph and strutted out of the office. Jack felt his fighting spirit leave him.

"What is my punishment, Headmaster?" he asked dully.

Taue sighed. "Stay still, Riddle."

The boy gave the man a hopelessly puzzled look. Taue disregarded it and with a swift motion of his hands pulled all the water off Jack's clothes, hair, and skin, and then made a rather large sphere of water. "Sit down, Mr. Riddle," he said calmly, while stroking the water's surface. "I know you are not responsible for this, even though the evidence does indeed point to you."

Jack took a few seconds to shake off the shock, before catching himself and sitting down as requested. He ran his fingers through his perfectly dry hair in a daze. Taue seemed amused.

Sensing that his student was about to begin firing questions, Ingoldstadt's Headmaster turned the sphere into a ring and left it to rest on top of his desk. "You must excuse Professor Obex, Riddle," he said.

It took but an instant for Jack to be drawn to the man's voice. Like Rego's, Taue's voice had something mystical and alluring to it. He also noticed that Taue had the darkest skin he had ever seen in his short life.

"Our Maths teacher has had trouble adjusting to the freedom Ingoldstadt gives to the Dark Arts. You being the Dark Heir has her on her toes."

"No kidding," commented Jack dryly before he could stop himself.

Taue chuckled. "I can only imagine how tough it must be for you. How are you holding up?"

Jack narrowed his eyes at the man from Kenya. "Why care?"

The Headmaster gave the boy a knowing smile. "I'm sure that question was not as straightforward as it sounded," he said, standing up and walking to a window. With a hand twitch, he called the water to himself and then let it fall inside a large basin below the window.

The boy in question stared suspiciously at the man. He couldn't be older that forty… when Taue remained silent, Jack started to look around. The office was octagonal and it had four windows, which meant they were in one of the many turrets. There was only one set of double doors made of dark wood, three enormous bookshelves, and here and there he could see what could only be souvenirs from Kenya itself. Wooden trinkets, pottery, some jewellery…

"Sir?" began Jack tentatively.

Taue moved his head slightly, but not enough to get a clear view of the boy. "Yes?"

Jack tapped the armrest of his armchair with his fingers and dug the tip of his shoe into the colourful rug beneath him. "Sir, how did you pull the water from me? I mean… I'm fully dry…"

Taue chuckled slightly. "I am a Waterwielder, Jack… you don't mind if I call you that, do you?" Jack shook his head. "As a Waterwielder I can manipulate water into whatever form I want, not just use it as a weapon. Have you not seen a Wielder at work already?"

"No, sir. We've only heard of them in theory."

Taue turned around and leaned on a wall. "I must speak to your Dark Arts professor about that, then… perhaps he can take you to watch the fifth years while they practice or duel. Now… for you detention…"

Jack turned his head so fast his neck cricked.

The Headmaster raised an eyebrow. "You may have not flooded the dungeons, but you did talk back to a teacher. And before you protest, let me tell you I know you were defending yourself, but I will have you know that there are better ways to defend yourself than losing your cool and snapping at people. Let this be a lesson for you."

The boy slumped in his chair with a groan. "What do I have to do? Um… sir?"

The Kenyan man smirked. "I'm sending you over to Professor Rego… I believe she has just begun a project that she is going to need help with. Go see her after dinner, and she will give you the details. I think she has wanted to give you a detention since you ran off to the forest in search of Tancred. Honestly, the way she speaks of you, I don't know if she wants to kill you or to adopt you… maybe both," he added with a chuckle. Jack gave Taue a look of utter disbelief.

Taue smiled in response and then his expression turned thoughtful. "Make that two who want to adopt you… Helen could give Nyah a run for her money in that department."

Jack titled his head and quirked an eyebrow with amusement. "Any more likely foster parents I should be aware of?"

The Headmaster pretended to think. "Hmm… well, Professor Amundsen practically worships you for your knowledge in Potions, and Professor Edere is hot on her heels. She claims she has never before seen a student who can catch on to Transfiguration as fast as you have." Taue laughed at Jack's gobsmacked expression.

"I thought they didn't like me!" cried Jack in surprise. "They're rougher with me than with the rest of the class."

The adult nodded solemnly. "That's because they know you have the potential to do much more than what you're letting on right now. So… run along. There's a detention somewhere in your near future and I don't want to be the one to rob you of your last hours of freedom."

Jack gave Taue a grim smile and stood up from his chair. "Fine, Headmaster. It was nice talking to you… in a weird, twisted way…"

Taue smiled one last time and showed Jack to the door. "I agree… it was most certainly… _informative._"

The boy smirked and left the office without looking back. He set out to his common room to find Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred, and tell them about what had just happened… and maybe find out how on earth was it possible to flood the dungeons. He grumbled to himself. _This day isn't turning out to be a good one…_

"Oi, Riddle! Your detention any good?"

Jack halted. _And it's just about to turn worse…_

Manfred.

_Great._

"Say… mind if I escort you to your first session?"

_Just fantastic._

"I'd rather not," groaned Jack in response, without turning around to meet the older boy's triumphant gaze. He did not wait for Manfred's next comment, but resumed his walk to his common room.

Manfred grinned. "Aren't you in the least bit curious as to why I know you got detention?"

"Were you intercepted by Obex-saurus?"

His cousin burst out laughing. "Nope… as a matter of fact, I knew you would be in the dungeons when I let the water in."

Jack froze. "_What did you just say?_" he asked in a dangerously low voice.

Manfred leaned elegantly against a door and blew a strand of black hair off his face. "I didn't think Obex would buy it… magically flooding the dungeons seems to be above first year level, though no one ever said it would be above a second year."

Jack turned around slowly. "Care to share that knowledge?" he asked through clenched teeth.

The Bloor heir tilted his head. "Yes. I told you to stay away from my brother… you didn't. So consider this an act of war."

"You little-!"

Manfred smirked evilly and in one swift move opened the door and slipped through it soundlessly, locking it behind him.

Jack pulled out his wand and pointed it at the door. "Alohomora!"

Nothing. He growled and walked to the door.

"Manfred! Open the door! Manfred!" called Jack, thumping on the door. The elder Bloor brother laughed in response. "Manf-damn you!"

The Riddle heir turned away from the door, swearing bloody murder and muttering a string of curses under his breath… the kind of curses that would make a sailor proud… or make Voldemort narrow his eyes at him and order him to eat a bar of soap…

"Phew, I can tell you are proficient in the arts of language," said a familiar voice.

Jack turned his head and almost choked when he saw Billy's cerulean eyes staring back at him, glinting mischievously. "Billy! What the hell are you doing here?"

The seven-year old albino laughed. "I missed you, too."

"Sorry…" muttered Jack, glaring at the door. "It's just my idiotic cousin… never mind…"

"Ralph?"

"Nah… Manfred."

"What'd he do?"

Jack sighed. "You know about the small library down in the dungeons?" Billy nodded. "Well I was down there researching some runes, and I heard a noise so I went to investigate… nearly had a stroke when I saw the Niagara Falls coming down the stairs. I grabbed my book and I ran upstairs, but when I got out Obex saw me and thought I was responsible, so she took me to the Headmasters office and I got detention. I just found out I was framed…" he finished with a bitter tone. "And Obex kept my book!"

Billy raised his pale eyebrows. "And he did that because…?"

"Because of a bloody family feud. I suppose his _dad_ will be so proud of him," he sneered. "Even called it an act of war."

"You're not thinking about revenge, are you?" asked Billy warily.

Jack gave him a pointed look. "Didn't you hear what I said, Billy? This is war!"

--- º --- º --- º ---

**A/N: Almost unbelievable, but I actually got the chills writing this chapter. See, it was three or four in the morning when I was writing about Mr. Tiny, and I was so into the story that I kept glancing through the window…**


	15. Grave Secrets

Note: Here we are again. My internet's dead and I'm bound to use my spare free time at school to be able to post this… meh… it's been two weeks without internet now! I'm at the border of madness! But still, if it counts as a benefit, I've been able to write more now that my distractions are almost down by 50, so this chapter actually is 7,879 words long… if this keeps going on my chapters are soon going to be nearing 10,000 words phew

This chapter was kind of hard to write… I hope it's not too tangled, but if there's something you don't understand let me know so I can explain better and even edit the chapter itself

--- º --- º --- º ---

Grave Secrets

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KRISTY!"

"Kristy! Kristy!"

Kristy shot up in her bed as soon as she felt her two younger siblings jumping on the bed and her person. Both were still in their PJs and laughing hysterically, Orion calling out to her to have a happy birthday and Paige merely shrieking out her name.

Her black haired brother perched himself on the corner of her bed and kept bouncing on his heels as if he were on a sugar high. "Presents! Presents! Mum wants you to open them after breakfast, but I can't wait… open your presents!"

Paige jumped on her spot and clapped excitedly. "Open them! Open them!"

Kristy rolled her eyes at her siblings' antics and grinned. Unlike other children, Kristy was not one to look forward to her birthday. It was like any other day to her, except she was given presents by just being born. Weird.

Everything was going fine until their mother's voice reached them from across the hall.

"Orion! Paige! I told you not to wake your sister!"

Kristy sighed. "Too late, mom!"

Megan Black's fuming red head appeared on the doorway. "Orion Sirius Black!"

Orion's eyes widened in a practised show of innocence. "You blame _me_?"

"I blame _you_!"

Paige's eyes shifted between her mother and brother. "My fault?" she asked with a worried tone of voice.

Megan's eyes softened. "Of course not, honey, just your devil of a brother is to blame. Happy birthday, sweetie."

Kristy grimaced at the sugary nickname. "Thanks, mom."

"Now," continued the Black matriarch. "Breakfast."

"Presents!" argued Orion.

"Breakfast!"

"Presents!"

"Breakfast!"

"Okay, okay…" sighed Orion in defeat, approaching the door with his head hanging low. "_Sheesh, woman_…"

"_What!?_"

Orion burst out laughing and sprinted out of his elder sister's room. "You can't catch me! You can't catch me!"

Kristy and Megan exchanged a glance. It was scary how much alike Orion and Sirius were, and it bothered Megan that her son was beginning to follow in his father's footsteps; which meant that Orion was likely to have A LOT of girlfriends when he hit teenage-hood, being annoyingly irresponsible, easily distracted, hot headed, hyper, try to break his father's detention record… Merlin forbid.

Kristy jumped from her bed and went to her dresser. "I'd go after Orion if I were you, mom," she suggested, without turning around. "Knowing him, he's probably ripping his way through half of my presents," she added with amusement.

Megan shook her head. "You're right. Come on, Paige, let's chain your brother to a wall."

The youngest Black child whooped and ran after her mother, leaving the young redhead on her own in her room. Her family could be so weird sometimes, she thought. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a lime green Muggle t-shirt from her drawers, and went to her own bathroom to take her shower. Her black and white sneakers were the last things she pulled on.

She got startled when she heard the door to her house open and her siblings cry out in delight. She finished brushing her hair with a few more strokes of her brush and pelted down the stairs to see what the commotion was about. When she reached the foyer, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Dad?"

Sirius smirked and spread his arms open. "How's my birthday girl?"

"Dad!" laughed Kristy. She rushed into his arms and he lifted her off the floor and swung her around in a circle. She laughed harder and tightened her grip on his neck. "Dad, stop it!"

The man in question pouted and skidded to a halt. He held his daughter close to him and lifted his eyebrows at her. "No kiss for me?"

Kristy sniggered and pecked her father's nose. He sneezed, making the rest of his family laugh.

"Whoa, dad," chortled Orion. "You're allergic to Kristy's kisses!"

His mother smacked him lightly on the back of his head. Sirius left Kristy on the floor ("Happy Birthday, kiddo," he had whispered), and hugged his wife.

"So what brings you here, _Professor_?" asked Megan playfully.

"Dumbledore gave me the day off, so I could spend it with my lovely family," he replied. "And so I could give _this_ to my lovely redheaded little one," he added, pulling out from his robes a thin package wrapped in ocean blue paper.

Kristy's rainforest-green eyes widened, and she pointed at the parcel. "That's for me?"

Sirius flashed her a smile. "Yup! All yours!"

Kristy smiled at him and took the thin present from her father. As it was her habit, she unwrapped it carefully and slowly, not wanting to rip the paper. A few moments later, a sapphire blue journal with silver highlights fell into her hands. She glanced questioningly at her father. "What is this, dad?"

Sirius smiled mysteriously at her. "It's a journal. James gave one to Harry, too. They work like the two-way mirrors he and I used to have, but now you write instead of speak. Now you can talk in class undetected!"

Megan hit him. Hard.

"Stop giving ideas to our daughter!" she chided.

Kristy laughed. "I don't even go to Hogwarts yet, mom. I won't be talking in class, promise!"

Her mother gave her a mock glare. "You better not, missy."

"And what's that?" asked Sirius, looking into the living room, distracted by some boxes wrapped in silver.

Megan seemed hesitant. "My… er… my parents sent those."

The whole family turned to look at her with puzzled expressions. Ever since Orion had been born, Megan's parents had broken contact with their family for reasons only known to them. She also had a twin sister called Katyn, who had a daughter and a son called Neddia and Luke, both older than Kristy. Nor Kristy, nor Orion, nor Paige remembered ever meeting their aunt, cousins or grandparents, and it was a well-known fact that that side of the family had more Elven blood running through their veins than the Black family did.

Kristy frowned. So why would her grandparents want to contact her all of a sudden?

--- º --- º --- º ---

_Five days ago…_

"Billy, what are you doing here?" asked Tancred, as soon as the tiny albino and the riled up Dark Heir stepped into the common room.

"Came to pick up his stuff," grumbled Jack through gritted teeth. "Manfred's going to pay, I swear!" he whispered fiercely to himself.

Kenichi looked from Ralph and Tancred, to Jack and Billy, and lifted an eyebrow. "What? And… what?"

Jack decided to ignore the question and muttered darkly to himself, mentally going over every Dark curse he knew and which had the worst effects.

Billy sighed and shook his head at him. "Jack's kind of miffed 'cause Manfred bested him again in-"

"So not true!" cut Jack with indignation. "It was a completely unexpected move!"

"So he bested you," argued Billy. "Get over it! Think about how you're going to get back at him, instead."

The older boy crossed his arms over his chest and glared into space. Billy shot a wary glance in Jack's direction. Satisfied that he was not going to blow up on anyone, or hurt anyone for that matter, he continued.

"Anyhow, Manny flooded the dungeons and blamed Jack for it, so Jack got detention. Apparently, that was an act of war and now Jack wants revenge, he just hasn't thought of anything yet. As for me, my soon to be adoptive parents will be taking me to Norfolk tonight, so I've come to pack my stuff and… to say good-bye…" He said this very fast.

"You're leaving already!?"

"Manny flooded the dungeons?"

"What the… _what?_"

Jack groaned. "I was still doing some research on the runes in the dungeons, and suddenly the Niagara Falls started coming down the stairs. When I got out, Obex caught me and dragged me to see the Headmaster. Taue doesn't believe I flooded the dungeons, but he still gave me detention with Rego 'cause I talked back to Obex. I just found out it was Manfred's idea all along."

"I believe revenge is in order," piped Billy.

"I'm in," said Kenichi without hesitation. "It was about time that we did something fun."

Tancred nodded eagerly. "When I graduate, I want to look back on my first year and say 'I wasn't as innocent as I looked'. Besides, Manny had it coming."

Jack smirked, pleased beyond measure by having the support of his friends. "What about you, Ralph? I mean, he _is_ your brother…"

"Are you kidding me?" he said with disbelief. "I have always lived under my brother's shadow," explained Ralph bitterly. "I want to show my father that I can be as good as Manfred. Consider me your permanent ally, Jackie."

Jack narrowed his eyes. "Don't call me that ever again."

Ralph gave him a cheeky smirk. "Sooo… what's the plan?"

Billy's face brightened. "I have an idea!"

The other four boys looked at him inquisitively.

"Manfred used water and the dungeons to get Jack into trouble, right? So, let's do the opposite! Let's use fire and the Astronomy Tower! It's the highest place in the castle if you don't count the seven towers we're forbidden to enter."

"Sounds… clever," commented Jack thoughtfully.

"Awesome!" exclaimed Tancred. "But… what are we going to do, exactly?"

Kenichi grinned. "Blow up the Astronomy Tower?" he suggested.

Jack smiled evilly. "You know, Kay? That might actually work…"

"_Kay_?" echoed Kenichi. "Are you feeling well?"

"Never been better!"

"You were just sulking a moment ago!"

"I was… until you suggested we blow up the Astronomy Tower."

"We're not going to blow up the Astronomy Tower! I was kidding!"

"Why not?" argued Ralph. "Flooding the dungeons is just as monumental! We must do something that matches its monumentalness!"

"Does that word even exist?" asked Billy.

"Shuddup!"

Tancred sighed. "So is it settled, then?"

"How do we do it, though?" asked Kenichi, giving in to his prankster impulse.

Jack smirked and his eyes shone a bright lemon green. "I know just the thing…"

Through the curse of the day, the five concentrated on planning and making Billy's last day for some time in Ingoldstadt his best day yet. They spoke of materials, strategies and back-up plans while they helped Billy pack. Billy asked them to please send him a photo of the Astronomy Tower in the aftermath of Jack's revenge.

Dinner, as always, consisted of food from different countries. Only Tancred and Aura dared to try the Vietnamese dishes they were offered that evening. Aura, used to spicy food, didn't suffer much from it, but Tancred's eyes were watering so much, Jack feared they would cause a second flood. Finally, the time came for Jack to go to Professor Rego and ask about his punishment. Much to his chagrin, she asked him to go to her office after dinner every day for a week, and single-handedly sort out and transcribe all the notes she made on her research, without magic. At this point, he had given up on finding out what the tablet in the forest said.

Billy's good-bye that night was… the most cheerful Jack had ever experienced. The half-vampire was so excited to finally have a family to call his own, that leaving Ingoldstadt and Arx Crystallus behind for some years didn't have any negative effects on him at all. They laughed, cracked some jokes and waved good-bye as if they would see the seven-year old the next morning. Of course, it would be at least three years before Billy Raven got a formal invitation to join Ingoldstadt International Magic Academy. But well… one can't have everything.

_Present day…_

Kenichi pulled his knitted hat a bit lower over his eyes. If it weren't for the bright orange hair that poked from under the black hem, he wouldn't be recognizable as Kenichi Oosaki. It could have very well been Aaron or Ralph that was leaning against one of the marble pillars that marked the entrance to the Mind-Arts classroom. Today, the second years were listening in on the class. It was about to end, and Kenichi must be ready to track their victim down.

After what seemed to be hours, the door finally gave signs of being opened soon, and Kenichi ducked behind one of the pillars to wait. A small flow of sixth years exited the classroom, followed by awed second years. He saw Yin, Nora and Shancus speaking animatedly somewhere in the middle. Manfred, Asa Pike and a black girl from Congo he believed was called Artie, came out last chatting among themselves. Unsuspecting.

Kenichi's task was simple. Follow Manfred and keep him away from key locations near the Astronomy Tower until the time was right. The only complication was that it had fallen upon him to come up with a way to push Manfred in the right direction once it was time to set the plan into motion. Bloody Dark Heir.

Like a shadow, the half-magi set out after the Bloor heir and crossed his fingers under his black cloak. He hoped the others played their parts well.

--- º --- º --- º ---

The teacher's lounge: the sacred place in which teachers can spend their free periods without being disturbed by their curious students. Stuck on the wooden door was a timetable indicating which classes had each teacher, where, and when. Today, the Astronomy teacher, Professor Nebula, would be found at his office by the end of the hour and Tancred had to make sure it happened. Goodness knows, teachers are often distracted from their destinations by unexpected circumstances. It was vital that Professor Nebula 'happened' to walk by the Astronomy Tower at a precise hour, during a certain event. Otherwise, all their efforts would have been in vain.

At the same time, Ralph and Jack were poking through Professor Amundsen's stock of inflammable potions. They were looking for a vial of burning potion: a concoction that was used to replace gunpowder and that when handled correctly, could be used as some sort of small bomb. The advantages of the bright amber liquid were that, when it exploded, the visual effects surpassed any physical damage that it could cause. In other words, any witnesses would see an enormous explosion with a lot of noise and heat, when in reality, burning potion was relatively harmless.

If all went well, the illusionary damage caused to the Astronomy Tower by the potion would last two weeks. That was all Jack needed to make his revenge not only sweet, but as frustrating as possible to his enemy.

"Right here!" cried Ralph. "That little one!"

Jack smirked. "Did you bring the replacement?"

Ralph grinned and pulled out a small identical vial full of amber coloured water. They changed the small bottles, and scurried out of the potions lab as fast as possible. They had half an hour to climb all the way to the Astronomy Tower, set the trap, and hope that Kenichi and Tancred would play their parts in time.

--- º --- º --- º ---

The watch on Kenichi's wrist vibrated, indicating that it was time to move in and send Manfred to the Astronomy Tower. He took a deep breath and removed the knitted hat from his bright orange head. Manfred and his friends were just a few steps away.

Feigning that he had just walked down the corridor, he approached the trio. "Hey, Bloor!" he called.

Ralph's elder brother turned around with a frown. "Yes?"

"Mac sent me," half-lied Kenichi. "He says he found your star chart under a desk in the Astronomy Tower. He also says that unless you go get it right now, he will give it to the librarian, and you know what a stuff-keeper she is."

Manfred lifted an eyebrow. "Ok, then. I'll go get it."

Kenichi offered him a thin smile and left the trio behind with an increasing sense of exhilaration. It had worked!

Of course, if it hadn't been because Mac had commented that Ralph's brother had left a star chart behind, his alibi wouldn't have worked. It couldn't have been more convenient. Manfred was probably looking for the chart anyway. Not that Mac would give it to anyone, mind you.

One and a half floors above, Tancred was waiting to see Manfred walk by. He hoped he did soon, because it wouldn't be long before Professor Nebula exited the teacher's lounge. If the teacher came out first, he would have to think of an excuse to keep the professor long enough for Manfred to confidently stride by, fuelled by an excuse made up by Kenichi. Alas! Luck was not with him.

The door handle began to turn and for a moment, Tancred panicked.

'_Think! Think!'_

"Professor Nebula! Hi! How are you, sir?"

The balding teacher turned around and fixed Tancred with an inquisitive stare. "Mr. Torrson! Fine, thank you. How can I help you?"

"Um… you see… er… sir, have you ever heard of the Pretzel Conspiracy?"

"Begging your pardon?"

'_Damn you to Hell, Manfred! I'll make you pay for this!'_

Tancred flashed the teacher a bright smile. "Yeah. I thought to myself, 'If anyone has ever heard of the Pretzel Conspiracy, it would be Professor Nebula'. You know, it being such an overlooked event that took place last decade a little ways outside the galaxy, just because the radiation it emitted mutated the genetic compounds found in pretzels, making the ears of those who eat them more pretzel-shaped the more they eat them?"

The professor looked flummoxed. "I…"

'_I am so going to kill you, Jack! This is all your fault!'_

"My mother works in the government," continued Tancred, mentally willing Ralph's idiotic elder brother to emerge from the staircase, "and she told me that the pretzel industry gave the government so much money that the government had to cover up the event so the sales wouldn't drop. Is that true?"

"Well, um…" started Nebula. "There was a disruption outside the galaxy last decade, yes, but… the Pretzel Conspiracy? How did you come to know about that?"

"My mother."

Nebula looked at a loss. "I… I, well, I think I have heard of the Conspiracy before, yes. The Jarrey Comet struck… or was it the Kleptin Comet?"

Tancred bit his lip and tried not to laugh. What on Earth was Nebula talking about? There was no such Conspiracy! Finally, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a tall twelve-year-old boy jogging up the stairs being followed by his redheaded friend, Asa Pike. Tancred mentally smirked. Two birds with one stone: this was going to be sweet. He tried to look interested in Nebula's explanation of what had caused the 'Pretzel Conspiracy', but it was so utterly ridiculous that if he didn't leave soon, he would crack up laughing in the teacher's face and be given detention.

"Oops! Look at the time!" he cried suddenly, looking at his watch. "Sorry, professor, I must go to class, lest I want to be late and Professor Rego won't like it. Thanks a lot for your insight, it was very helpful."

He waved good-bye and walked away. He did have DADA class next, but that did not stop him from pausing a moment and bursting out laughing as soon as he was sure he was out of earshot.

Meanwhile, Asa and Manfred were panting slightly from climbing so many floors. As it turned out, Asa thought he had left his own chart behind, which wouldn't surprise Manfred at all considering his friend's apparent short-term memory. When the two boys finally reached the landing, Manfred right away glimpsed the shiny white paper under his desk and recognized it as his chart. He couldn't believe he had left it behind! Not something that was expected from a Bloor, certainly.

"Come on," he told Asa with a slight wheeze. "I can see mine. You see yours?"

Asa squinted and shook his head. "Nah, but it's probably somewhere inside."

Manfred yawned and led the way to the doorway. The moment he crossed it, he knew something was terribly wrong. Unfortunately for him, he and Asa were well inside the classroom when something small and shiny fell from a rafter, and when it made contact with the floor…

Boom.

Shaken out of their wits, both boys rushed for the door as the flames began licking the desks and walls. The force of the explosion had pushed the chairs and some desks through the windows, and in the spot where the vial had fallen was a small, black crater.

"BLOOR! PIKE!"

--- º --- º --- º ---

Jack yawned and lay back on his armchair before the fire. He had had a good day, for a change… full breakfast, no homework, great weather, complying Ayax, end of detention, calm afternoon, punished Manfred. He felt like punching the air, but he was way too proud to do that. He contented himself with an inerasable smile and a relaxed posture. Absolutely nothing could bother him right now; not even Obex.

Ralph had still to stop laughing at his brother, and told Kenichi and Tancred over and over again how the events had taken place. When they both got bored of listening to the story, Ralph moved on to their female friends. Eventually, all first year knew about their little prank. Jack was seriously considering allowing the other boy to write the letter they would send to Billy. His only regret was that they hadn't had a camera with them at the time: Pike and Bloor's faces had been priceless.

The girls had laughed. Well, first they had looked stunned, _then,_ they had laughed. Isabel hardest of all. None of them could believe that Tancred's alibi for keeping Professor Nebula had been making up a conspiracy that had to do with Pretzels. Leave it to the werewolf to think up something that had to do with food. As for the Astronomy Tower, well… Manfred and Asa would spend two weeks cleaning the ash and trying to conjure desks and chairs, not to mention, repair windows, floors, the ceiling, the roof…. Life was good; revenge was better.

There was a tap on the door, and twelve faces turned towards the source of the noise.

"Who's there?" called Neema, taking a break from her reading. There was no answer, only more tapping.

The twelve exchanged glances amongst themselves. Who could be outside the first years' common room at 10 o' clock? Not a student, surely… students from every year could communicate in the Main Common Room.

"I'll get it," said Aaron, standing up from his place at the table where he, Otieno, Amy, Ralph and Lydia were playing _Spoons._

All of them followed the albino's trek to the door with curiosity. Jack's throat suddenly clenched. What if it was Manfred? After all, it didn't take a genius to notice that Jack would want revenge after the flooded dungeons.

Fortunately, when Aaron opened the door only Horus came flying in. There was a collective 'Aaaaah' of relief and some laughs, as the silver falcon sought out his master and landed on the armrest of Jack's seat.

"Hullo, mate," greeted Jack, stroking the falcon's head. "What's that you got there?"

Horus chirped and extended a leg. Attached to it was a parcel that looked big but not heavy. Jack frowned. Who could have possibly sent anything to him via Horus if the falcon was living at the school?

He freed Horus of his load and the falcon jumped unto his shoulder. Curious, the other eleven stopped doing whatever each of them was doing and looked over to Jack to see what the late mail could have brought. Slowly, the Dark Heir unwrapped the light parcel and a silky material flowed out of the brown paper: black on one side, silvery on the other.

"What's that?" asked Tancred.

"A cloak," replied Jack, bending down to get it. "A big black cloak."

"I think you can wear it both ways," chimed Zoé. "Either black or silver."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "I'll stick to black." He turned the cloak around to see if there was any clue of who could have sent the parcel.

Kenichi gasped. "It's an invisibility cloak!"

"Huh?" said Jack. "It's perfectly solid."

Amy shook her head slowly, as if in shock. "Take a good look."

Lydia sniggered. "So you're either Dark or Invisible… fitting!"

Jack smirked at her and took a good look at his feet, where the silver side of the cloak was concentrated, and froze. Actually, he would have had a good look at his feet if they were visible, which, they were not. It took him a moment to unfreeze. "But who would send anything to me? And an invisibility cloak, no less!"

"Perhaps if you read the letter you'd know?" suggested Aura.

"Which letter?" asked Jack.

"That one," said Aura, pointing to Jack's feet.

Indeed, there was an envelope at Jack's feet. Jack reached down and took it, turning it around to see if it had an address or a name or any mark at all. Nothing.

"What are you waiting for?" asked Tancred. "Open it!"

Jack did and inside the envelope he found a neatly folded piece of parchment. He pulled it out and unfolded it.

'_I'm not dead.'_

His confusion and shock must have shown on his face because Ralph showed concern for his health.

"What's up, little cousin? Did a ghost send it?"

Jack swallowed hard and forced himself to take his eyes from the piece of parchment. He faced his peers with a haunted look. "Someone I know, or… _knew_ isn't dead. Whoever it is, they sent me this," he added, holding up the black/silver cloak.

His statement was met by a chorused, "What?"

The Dark Heir shrugged. "A lot of people I once knew are dead. My parents, possibly my godfather, most friends… any of them could have sent it."

Kenichi was the first to recover. "Ok, so of all those people, who were the most likely to have access to an Invisibility cloak?"

"My parents, obviously," stated Jack right away. "My godfather, too, but I don't think he's dead. Or maybe someone I wasn't sure was dead or alive sent it to reassure me… like Damien or Sarah…" the boy's voice faded into nothing, now talking to himself more than to the others. Could Damien the vampire be alive? He could have escaped from Helgrind and stolen a cloak… Sarah, his enslaved friend, perhaps? Not likely.

Then it hit him.

It could be one of his parents!

As quickly as his bubble swelled, it burst.

His mother couldn't be alive. He had seen her get shot. But his father… could the Dark Lord still be alive? He did not dare to hope. The last time he had held some small sliver of hope and was let down, he was crushed. Besides, even if Tom were alive, he had no idea of how to get to him.

"Jack?"

The sapphire-eyed boy looked up. Eleven faces were looking back at him with varying degrees of concern. Ralph was raising an eyebrow at him, Kenichi looked understanding, Tancred neutral. The girls' worried faces almost made him laugh, despite the situation. The remaining two boys seemed curious and concerned at the same time. Horus rubbed his feathery head against his neck. He sighed.

Isabel took control of the situation. "Ok, then… who are the most likely people who could have sent it, again?"

"Father, Mother, my Godfather," said Jack, counting them with his fingers as he mentioned them, "… a vampire friend, a friend of my father's… and that's it. I can't think of any more."

The Spanish girl nodded. "And out of those?"

Jack lowered his head and clutched the robe. "Not my mother… I saw her die. My father's friend… I don't know why he would want to tell me he's alive if I never considered him to be dead. Damien, the vampire, was sent to Helgrind… not likely that he made it out, but if he did I doubt he would send a cloak along with a note. My godfather I haven't seen nor heard from in some time, even before my mother's death, so he could be trying to reassure me. My father…" he grimaced, "… I know very well what my father being alive would mean to all of you, so let's just leave it at that."

The other kids shifted uncomfortably. None of them had fully grasped the fact that Jack's father was a symbol of death and terror. That Jack would probably go down that same path and could pull them along with him. The very idea of having the Dark Lord come back to life after the first taste of peace sent shivers down their spines… but still, he was Jack's father. And Jack, like any other child, craved the presence and care of a parent figure. So what could they do about it?

Sensing their distress, Jack decided to change tactics. "By far," he said, "it seems my godfather is the most likely sender. Now that both my parents are gone, it would be his responsibility to care for me, no?"

Knowing that Jack was trying to get out of dangerous waters, Amy agreed with him. "It does seem so, Jack. What was the last you heard from him?"

Jack forced his memory back a few years. "His name's Diego Hawkins. I remember he pushed me into a lake when I was four… I think he was trying to get me to swim, and made me swear not to tell my parents 'cause they would have his head. When I was seven, he came by our house and said he was going back to Sydney to visit his late wife's grave. I don't know what became of him after that."

"Sounds like you didn't know him too well," pointed Aaron.

"Oh, I did know him well," replied Jack. "He was like a favourite uncle… not that I had any others, anyhow, but he was a usual visitor and he stayed over looong periods of time when Father was in Europe. Mother used to joke around Father saying that if he didn't show his face more often, she would marry Diego. Funny, how after saying that, Father would be home longer than usual…" he trailed off into silence and smiled slightly.

"So do you think it was Diego who sent you the cloak?" asked Tancred.

Jack frowned gloomily at the material glistening in his hands. "I don't know…"

--- º --- º --- º ---

Jack pulled out a piece of parchment, seemingly to take notes, but instead he started writing the words '_terrible_', '_terribly_', '_horrible_', '_extraordinary_', and any other _terrible_ adjective he heard his history teacher say while giving the class.

Aura, who was sitting beside him peeked over his arm and sniggered.

"You forgot _astonishing_," she whispered to him.

Jack snorted softly and wrote the word after scribbling a tally beside the word '_terrible_' when the professor said "… was a terrible war that took place two millennia ago…"

He and Aura kept listening for any other adjectives their teacher might use, but they had no idea what the woman was talking about. It wasn't until four _horribles_, three _extraordinarilys_, six _dreadfuls_, three _appalings_, two _tremendouslys_, and nine _terribles_ later that he started listening to Helen as if his life depended on it. And after, of course, she mentioned the word _Keystones_.

Aura noticed the boy's sudden stillness and frowned questioningly at him. He, however, was too immersed in Helen's lecture to notice. Wondering what could have caught the Dark Heir's attention, she turned to her History Professor and listened.

"Shades have existed since forever," Helen told her students. "As you should know, because I told you last class, a Shade is not born. They are spirits that enter the body of a living human if they're called. It's a terrible process that is similar to Necromancy. Terrible. But that's my dear friend Swallowraw's area, not mine. You won't study anything in your Dark Arts class on Necromancy until sixth year, so don't go asking around."

The previously glassy eyed class gave their teacher an innocent look. The teacher snorted at them.

"If you think I'm going to believe you have innocent intentions you are very mistaken, my dears," she chided, stressing her words by waving her finger. "Now that I have your attention, hopefully, all of it… I'll turn to the worthwhile part of the lesson."

Jack exchanged a glance with Aura and both took out a piece of parchment to start copying notes. It was always the same with Helen. You could pretend the world didn't exist for the first fifteen minutes of the class, but from minute sixteen the class started to turn interesting.

Helen waited until her twelve students were all ready to take notes, and were staring at her expectantly, before truly beginning the lesson.

"As of…" she made a pause and looked at the ceiling in thought. "… fifteen? seventeen? No… em… ten? No! Twenty-four! Yes… twenty-four years ago, our very own school was forced into the war I was speaking of at the beginning of this class… yes, the part none of you were listening to and I'm not willing to repeat… and fought for ten years before quitting and letting fate take its course. Now we realise we shouldn't have left the war without putting a definite end to it… but the losses the school suffered were horrifying and none of us could take it anymore. Besides, the enemy had lessened the attacks. By enemy, I am referring to a web of corrupt governments competing for the way to become more powerful than the other."

She paused to give her students an once-over. Jack sat up and waited with baited breath for Helen to continue. He had heard her say the word _Keystones_, so whatever war she was talking about should be linked to them, right? Aura had her quill poised over her parchment, which already had a couple of lines written on it. He, on the contrary, was so absorbed in the lecture he had forgotten to take notes. And forgot everything about it again when Isabel asked a question.

"What do you mean that the school was forced into the war?" she asked with a small frown.

"Well, Isabel," replied Helen. "While it is true that Ingoldstadt remains a secret, a few select people know everything there is to know about it and those people belong to Lemurian governments. A few schools, like Hogwarts in the UK, know about us, too, but that's beside the point. It was the governments that pulled Ingoldstadt into the war."

"But how?" asked Amy. "Or why?"

"Is the school some sort of…" started Aaron. "I don't know… ally?"

"Of cou_g_se not, Aa_g_on," said Zoé to the Albino turning to look at him. "We'_g_e students. Teenage_g_s. What can a gove_g_nment possibly expect f_g_om inexpe_g_ienced kids?"

"I don't know," Aaron defended himself. "It's not as if Ingoldstadt is a normal Magic School."

'_Touché_,' thought Jack.

"As a matter of fact," said Helen catching the student's attentions. "There is some truth in what you say, Aaron, as there is truth in Zoé's words." Helen sat down on top of an empty desk and regarded her students again. "To answer your question, Amy, the governments in Lemuria have hired Ingoldstadt students for centuries to work for them. Sometimes even before they graduate… if the student is exceptionally talented and the situation requires it. Twenty-four years ago the war was at its peak. However, this war was somewhat of a private war. It consisted mostly of assassinations, treason, alliances, deceit… the masses, though, were never involved."

The twelve students were entranced by Helen's speech and only Aura was taking notes now, which was quite depressing; either for her, the teacher or the class, is completely up to the reader's criteria.

"At the peak corruption was everywhere," continued Helen. "There was no one left to trust. Everyone trustworthy was dead, imprisoned, or had disappeared, which during that period meant dead. Though disappeared doesn't sound quite as terrible as dead… Anyhow, Ingoldstadt is famous for producing excellent spies, politicians, inventors, strategists, etc, and our students are also famous because of their loyalty and nobility, so Lemurian governments started pulling students to work for them because they knew our students were among the few trustworthy people left who, besides, knew what to do in a war. The drawback is, however, that knowing how to do something and actually doing it are very different things…

"So… as Aaron said, our school is some sort of pseudo-ally to governments when we are needed, mostly during times of war, but as Zoé said, they can't expect much from us because we lack the experience. Ingoldstadt students are called only as a last resort."

"But…" interrupted Neema. "I thought you said the governments were the enemy?"

"The corrupt governments," mended Otieno. "Not all are corrupt."

Helen raised her eyebrows at him. "Are they really, Kathabi? Why do you think Ingoldstadt left the war before it ended?"

No one answered.

Jack exchanged another glance with Aura to see if she had any idea as to what to say, but she looked as confused as anyone else.

Helen rolled her eyes and stood up. "Ingoldstadt, ladies and gentlemen," she said leaning on the desk, "… was being used unfairly, and it caused so many losses to the student body, that no one thought it was worth fighting anymore. The headmaster of the time closed the door to any government that needed help, corrupt or not, and the school stepped officially out of the war. Or at least most of the school, because there was a generation that was involved so much in the war that they could not pull out, although at the time they were already graduates, but that's another story."

Jack blinked.

"The point is," said Helen straightening up and starting to pace. "… that Ingoldstadt lost many friends, and a few governments hold a grudge against the school even today." She made another pause and Jack took up the opportunity to speak.

"You mentioned Shades at the beginning of the class," he said with a questioning tone in his voice. "But what do they have to do with all this?"

"Ah," said Helen with a smile. "I was just about to get to that, Jack. You see, the governments that are at odds with us never quite finished the war, and now they want revenge on the school for refusing to help them all these years. Today, the only living Shade is the one called Durza." Jack stiffened at the name. "Durza is allied with the king of Alagaësia, and that monarchy is one of our enemies…"

The bell rang.

"Oops!" said Helen rushing to her desk and scanning her notes. "Ok, my dears… there's nothing on Ingoldstadt in your History book… I think I had some copies of…" her voice trailed off as she continued to pass pages. The whole class followed her movements until she finally tuned back to them. "Nope, no copies, never mind about that… ah well, you'll just have to do some research in the library then… check out some of the books and bring them for next class, alright?"

The class made affirmative sounds and started to leave. Jack put the unused parchment back into his shoulder bag (he knew he would regret not having notes for the exam) and was in the process of stowing away his quill and ink when Helen spoke.

"Jack, stay behind, will you, dear?" she said, straightening her papers without looking at him. "I'd like to have a word with you. It won't take long."

Jack turned to look at his friends who were waiting for him and signalled them to head off to their next class.

"See ya in Transfiguration, then," said Ralph heading out first.

"Bye, Helen!" called Isabel, before leaving with Aura. "Have a nice day!"

"You, too, sweetie!" called Helen, pushing her papers aside and approaching Jack.

Jack smiled. It amused him how Isabel always seemed to be happy, even in the mornings when the rest of the class resembled zombies. He saw his friends leave, already starting a conversation and laughing just before Helen called him again.

"Yes, Helen?" he replied politely.

The History teacher sighed. "I wanted to apologize for the way I spoke about Shades today. I understand your father fought Durza?"

Jack sighed. "Yes. In March, if memory complies."

Helen shook her head. "How terrible. I knew your father, you know? I understood what he was fighting, and forgive me, but I never quite liked his approach…"

"It took some getting used to," agreed Jack.

"… but what Durza did to him," she continued as if she hadn't heard him, "that was unforgivable. Especially because of you… and after what happened to your dear mother…"

Jack started. His history teacher knew how his mother had died? Just how did that work? "You know what happened to my mother?" he asked suspiciously.

Helen gave him a pointed look. "The death of the last heir of Rowena Ravenclaw does not go unnoticed by a historian, Riddle. Did you get to know your uncle Israel?"

The boy shook his head. "He died years before I was born. Why?"

"Curiosity," she replied, sitting on top of a desk. "And do you know why a Shade would go after your father?"

Jack was about to reply when he paused. He suddenly realised that he had no idea as to why Durza would kill Voldemort. They were not natural enemies. Rivals, perhaps, but not enemies. He shook his head.

The History professor frowned. "An heir of Slytherin. I suppose that shall remain a mystery… Anyhow, I noticed that you began paying attention to my class somewhere along the introduction. Rare in you, I must say."

The boy detected the implied question and took a deep breath. "Helen… what truly are the Keystones?"

His teacher gave him a knowing smile. "Excellent question, Riddle. No one can really say what they are, and not many know they exist. The usual definition is that they are sources of immense power that can only be tapped into by a Key Keeper, that is, the witch or wizard in charge of guarding the only sunstone that can open them. The Ingoldstadt generation that could not pull out of the war became Key Keepers, actually."

Jack made a double take. "I'm sorry, _what? _Key Keepers?"

Helen nodded. "When each of them took up a Key, they knew they would be hunted down and most probably killed. Sadly, death slowly caught up with the seven who had accepted the responsibility, but not before they found a new Keeper to guard these Keys. No one knows where the Keys have been for the last twenty years, nor who the Keepers are today."

Jack had to make a huge effort to stop himself from rubbing the Violet Key dangling from his neck, just under his shirt. Instead, he looked at the hem of his midnight-blue robes as if it were the most interesting thing on the planet.

"I believe you have Transfiguration class?"

He nodded. "Yes. I should probably get going… don't want to be late."

The professor nodded at him as he began his walk to the door. "Stay out of trouble, Riddle. It is no secret that you just got out of detention."

Jack smiled faintly at her before exiting. "I'll try!"

--- º --- º --- º ---

"Kenichi, you've got to see this!" called Jack.

"What?" asked Kenichi.

"These files," replied Jack. "I think I found what we were looking for!"

Full moon. Again.

As soon as he had had the chance, he had cornered Kenichi in his room, being the friend that he trusted the most, and praying to all deities he knew about that he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life, vaguely confessed his knowledge on Keys and Keystones.

Kenichi listened to him with rapt attention, and whistled at the end of Jack's explanation. Jack had not told him that the Violet Key was right there with them in the room, but he did hint that he knew that one of the Keys had been in Voldemort's possession before he died. He then explained to Kenichi that he had found it fishy that only the generation that did not pull out of the war were made Keepers, and that somehow Andor knew about the Keystones. It couldn't be mere coincidence.

Intrigued, the half-magi had agreed to Jack's plan of trying out the Invisibility Cloak for the first time during next full moon, and against all odds, raid the library of anything that at least hinted at Keystones. And so they found themselves, shrouded by darkness in the vast Ingoldstadt library, poking through dusty old files that might help them connect all the dots: The Keystones, the Key Keepers, Andor's knowledge, the Keys, the war, Ingoldstadt's involvement, and the involvement of Jack's father himself.

"What does it say?" asked Kenichi eagerly, hurrying to get to Jack's side.

"It's really short," warned Jack. "There's a list of names and then _'Generation 4,970. The events that shook the students were not mere coincidence. Brought the Keystone Conspiracy to a halt. Their whereabouts, as well as those of their families' remain unknown._'"

Kenichi's jaw was hanging open. "Keystone Conspiracy?" he managed to say. "Came to a halt? What does that mean?"

Jack remained quiet.

"Does that mean the conspiracy was halted or…" whispered Kenichi to himself. "Jack?" he called.

Jack didn't answer. His eyes were fixed on the piece of parchment he was holding.

"Jack? Jack!" Kenichi called again. "React, mate!" he said snapping his fingers in front of Jack's face.

Jack blinked a couple of times and then looked at his orange haired friend. "Kenichi…" he whispered with a haunted look. "Read the names on this file."

Kenichi seemed puzzled but he took the file nonetheless.

- Akira, Misuki

- Berhooz, Nadia

- Bloor, Reuben

Kenichi's voice trailed away and he raised his gaze to meet Jack's.

"Keep going," prompted Jack.

- Bone, Stephen

- Cineris, David

- Dawes, Katherine

- Green, Edward

- Hawkins, Diego

- Najeera, Chianti

- Pike, Audrey

- _Riddle, Tom_

Kenichi's voice trailed away again. "But that's… that's your…"

"My father, yes," said Jack. "Diego Hawkins is my godfather, and David Cineris is the father of a friend. I've been surrounded by Ingoldstadt graduates my whole life, and I had no idea!"

"But how…?"

"I don't know," whispered Jack, looking into space. "Father told me he attended Hogwarts with my mother."

Jack and Kenichi shared a glance. Then, Kenichi spoke, "If your father's name figures in the list of names… do you think there's a file on him somewhere in the school?"

Jack frowned. "If there is… then the file would be either in Taue's office or in Rego's with the other students' files."

"Drat," cursed Kenichi. "So what do we do?"

Jack opened his mouth to answer but instead, he gasped and went stiff. "Did you hear that?" he whispered.

Kenichi went completely silent and listened. "What's that?"

Jack frowned in concentration. "Sounds like footsteps…"

"The caretaker?" asked Kenichi.

"No…" replied Jack. "Mac's footsteps aren't as light…"

"Let's hide somewhere and see who it is," said Kenichi with a strange glint in his eyes.

Jack glanced at his friend. "You'd definitely be a Gryffindor, you know that?" he commented dryly.

"Come on," begged Kenichi, not knowing what Gryffindor was. "Please?"

Jack smiled mischievously and his eyes flashed lemon green. "Where do we hide?"

--- º --- º --- º ---

Note: I was going to ask… do any of you know the html code for a line, and how to add it in this site?


	16. Puzzling Truths

**A/N: **Another one bites the dust…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Puzzling Truths

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The opening game of the Quidditch season was definitely one for the books. After all, how many times in history did an eleven-year-old boy with a bolt-shaped scar on his forehead win a Quidditch match by almost swallowing a Snitch?

It was after this one-of-a-kind game that Harry and co. got their first real clue as to what was happening in the third corridor. Hagrid had absentmindedly mentioned that Fluffy would go to sleep if some music was played, but that only he and Professor Dumbledore knew that titbit of information. Ah yes… and Nicolas Flamel's name had come up… whoever he was.

What really baffled Harry was why he was getting a present on Kristy's birthday? On November the 12th, Arnulf (the owl that believed he was a falcon) dropped a small package in Harry's breakfast and immediately left. Charming pet, that one.

"What's that?" asked Ron, as soon as the thin rectangle was extracted from a bowl of cereal. "Better yet, what Holiday is it?"

"I don't know what it is, and it's Kristy's birthday," answered Harry, using his wand to wipe off the dripping milk from the bright green paper. He proceeded to unwrap the light package and frowned when he found himself holding a journal; it was wine coloured and decorated with golden strokes. He opened it, and on the first page he found an envelope addressed to him. Inside the envelope, he found a medium sized letter in his father's handwriting:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Dear Harry,_

_How are you, son? I hope school is treating you well and that you are mercilessly pranking Snivellus. As you might have noticed, your mom has no idea that I'm writing this letter; otherwise, she would have already taken the quill away from me and burned the parchment. But enough of that._

_You're probably wondering why would I send you a journal, out of all things. Kristy asked the same thing from Sirius. You see, the journal you probably have in your hands works like a two-way mirror: you have one and Kristy has the other, so that way you can keep in contact even if you're physically apart. Your mom obviously has no knowledge of this.__Once you write something down into the journal, Kristy will see it in hers, and vice versa. I recommend you congratulate her on her birthday before the day is over wink_

_In other matters... Ethan is growing unbelievably fast. He bit me the other day and your mom had a field day teasing me about it. His hair is getting thicker, too and his shoes won't fit anymore. Moony has been around at least twice a week to see him just because he's Godfather; I swear he dotes on him as much as Molly Weasley, which is saying something. Speaking of which, she is constantly saying how much he looks like me to which I have no response._

_Give your friends my best, and enjoy the journal._

_Your dad._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know something I've noticed?" asked Harry, folding the letter and stowing it away. Ron and Hermione looked quizzically at him. Harry sighed. "My dad likes to end his letters abruptly."

The redhead and the brunette exchanged glances. "Okaaay…"

Ron reached across the table. "So what is that?"

"It's a journal," said Harry, holding up the present. "It's for keeping in contact with Kristy."

"What?" asked Hermione with a frown. "Who would invent something like that?"

Ron shrugged. "I don't know… maybe someone who didn't have people to talk to, who cares? That thing's cool! How does it work?"

Harry reached for his bag and pulled out a quill. "Supposedly, I just write something down on the parchment, and Kristy should be able to see it wherever she is." He opened the journal on the first page and positioned the quill above it.

_:Kristy?:_

A few seconds passed before anything happened.

**:Who is this?:**

_:It's Harry:_

**:Harry!:**

_:Haha! Happy B-day!:_

**:Aw, Harry, thank you:**

_:My pleasure:_

**:How are you?:**

_:Bored out of my mind. I have Charms class next... you wanna talk?:_

**:Yes!:**

_:Goodie, because there're a lot of things I want to tell you. There's something weird going on in school, and I might need your help:_

**:Ok. I have to tell you some stuff, too. What's going on?:**

_:Not yet. I'll tell you in about half an hour. Keep your eyes on the journal:_

**:Will do. Talk to you then, Harry:**

_:OK. Bye!:_

Harry snapped the journal shut and stuffed it away in his bag. He smiled at Ron and Hermione. "It works," he announced. "I'm going to tell her about Famel and Fluffy. She might be able to help us because her mom has a big library in their home."

Hermione stared at him. "If we haven't found a thing in the school's library, what makes you think she might?"

Harry shrugged. "Kristy's a smart girl. She'll probably think of something we haven't or something like that. It'll pay off having her on our side, you'll see."

Ron frowned. "Are you sure it's smart telling someone else about all this? I mean... Neville saw Fluffy and he's been trying to stay away from us since then."

Harry rolled his eyes. "It'll be fine, Ron. It's not like she's here to see Fluffy or Snape."

"Ok, then," conceded Hermione with a worried look on her face. "I just hope she doesn't get into trouble for helping us. Merlin knows, Hagrid's already on our tails and Snape's suspicious, too."

Ron's cutlery fell to his plate. "He is!? Since when?"

Harry and Hermione exchanged glances.

"I think we should be going to class, now…" said Hermione without looking at the redheaded boy.

Harry nodded and gathered his stuff. "Yeah we should…"

Ron looked at both with a frown. "What? What did I say?"

Harry shook his head. "Nothing, mate."

"What!?"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Taue, why are you telling me this?" asked Professor Rego.

"Is it not obvious, Nyah?" the Headmaster replied. "Ruadh and Siena were found dead. They were the Keepers of the Red and Orange Keys. Tom is also dead and he was the Keeper of the Violet Key, except he was not carrying the Key when he died… he had a decoy, and I would love to know who he gave the real one to. It will not be long before Durza figures out I am the Keeper of the Yellow Key… once he does he will come after me and I will have to leave the school before he-"

"Taue," cut Nyah. "Why would you have to leave? Ingoldstadt is the safest place you can be at in a situation like this! The wards will not let Durza in because his blood is not in the book!"

"Nyah," argued Taue. "The only thing Durza needs to do is control one of our graduated students and steal the book so he can come in."

"Taue, that is ludicrous," snapped Nyah. "Our students graduate with the highest standards of Occlumency and all of them are able to resist the Imperius Curse. All of them are loyal to the school and all of its human components. Not one of them would betray us. Just look at Tom Riddle and Reuben Bloor, for spirits's sake! If they're faced they will undoubtedly try to kill each other, yet they would work together for the sake of the school. You do remember that they had to team up to keep the Violet and Indigo Keys safe?"

"Nyah," sighed Taue, trying to make her understand. "You know the rules of a duel with a Shade. One of the opponents has to enter the other's mind so the duel can start. If Durza engages one of our graduates in a duel, he or she would have lost control. They would be unwillingly helping him, and we would never suspect a thing. I can't endanger the school like that. I have to go, and you have to stay in charge."

Nyah waved her hands in mute desperation. "But what if Durza hasn't yet figured out that you're the Keeper of the Yellow Key? If you suddenly left the school he would be suspicious. You're too young to retire."

"I'll arrange something with Ebur's Emperor," replied Taue. "He helped Jack Riddle disappear because he owed Tom. He owes me as well. I'll leave under the excuse of a trip and I'll leave you in charge. Eventually you might hear that I died. If I truly did, then you'll get a signal so you do not look for me and compromise your position. If my death is just a cover, then you'll receive a different signal."

"Whoa!" cried Nyah. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait just one second!" Nyah opened and closed her mouth looking for the right words. "Dead? You're already speaking of death?"

"Nyah," muttered Taue. "We have to take all the scenarios into consideration."

Nyah sighed in defeat, her dark face and light eyes hidden by the shadows. Taue put a comforting hand on her shoulder and led her to another part of the library, talking to her in Swahili.

Meanwhile, two boys hidden under an Invisibility cloak, one Eburian and one Japanese, stared at each other open-mouthed, at the conversation they had just overheard.

The orange haired, Japanese boy was the first to move. He reached out for the papers (files, newspaper clippings, photographs, graphs, maps, handwritten notes) he and his black haired friend had been reading, and looked at his friend with questioning eyes.

Jack took a second to make his decision. He signalled to his friend that they left the library while Taue and Nyah were busy talking. Kenichi nodded and both boys left the library as fast as they could without making any noise. Their classes were finally starting to pay off. Once they were safely out of the adults' hearing range, Jack turned to his friend.

"I'm going to search both their offices for the file on my father, now that they're distracted," he whispered, while they walked down a stone corridor.

"Are you nuts?" asked Kenichi, making his friend stop walking. "You can't break into their offices in the middle of the night! What if they go back before you find the file? You don't even know where their offices are."

"Yes, I do," retorted Jack. "Remember when Manfred framed me for flooding the dungeons? I served detention in Nyah's office, and Obex took me to Taue's."

"You actually remember how to find them?" asked Kenichi with a quirked eyebrow.

Jack frowned. For a boy, he looked quite creepy with his face half hidden in the shadows. "If you don't want to help you can go back to the Common Room."

"And be left out of the fun?" replied Kenichi with a smirk.

Jack smirked back. "Let's go."

The two boys jogged under the Invisibility cloak keeping mostly to the shadows. They stopped occasionally to listen for footsteps and for Jack to refresh his memory. Eventually they made it to Taue's office since it was the closest to the library. They stopped before a wall on which a hand had been carved into the smooth yellowish stone.

"Oh shite…" whispered Jack.

"What?" asked Kenichi, glancing at the hand carved into the wall.

"I can't remember the password," he grimaced.

"I beg your pardon?" said Kenichi slowly after a shocked pause.

"Guess we'll have to go looking for Nyah's office," muttered Jack.

Kenichi made to strangle Jack. Jack started going back, pulling the cloak with him and almost uncovering Kenichi. Kenichi hissed. Jack raised an eyebrow.

"Well, what are you waiting for? We don't have all night. Let's go!"

Both boys began jogging again, Jack in the lead and Kenichi behind him in a huff. They climbed two sets of stairs, ran down a long, dark corridor, descended one flight of stairs, turned two corners to the left, and climbed three sets of stairs. At the end of the corridor was the door that led into the DADA teacher's office. Jack paused to take a breath.

"Why is it that in this castle you have to go down to go up, and you have to go up to go down?" he panted.

Kenichi took a couple of deep breaths but continued to pant. "Let's not… wait for Rego to… come back and… answer that… that question for us," he told his Dark friend.

Still panting, Jack straightened up and beckoned Kenichi forward. As with Taue's office, there was a hand carved into the smooth wall, this time a bright blue colour showered with black spots and uneven stripes; some sort of magical marble.

"You do remember the password to this one?" queried Kenichi with a tinge of annoyance.

Jack gave his friend a look that clearly said 'Of course I do! Stop bugging!', before giving a step forward and prying the cloak off both of them. He examined the carving for a few seconds before pressing his hand unto it and pushing it into the wall. There was a clicking noise at the other side of the wall and both boys jumped in surprise, but Jack didn't pull his hand away from the carving. Five seconds after the click, he did pull his hand away and the carved hand went back to its original place. Three seconds later he pressed his thumb and middle finger to the thumb and middle finger of the carving, and kept pressing as the blue and black wall faded into nothing. When Jack finally did let go of the carving, it disappeared along with the wall to reveal the portrait of a blue phoenix.

The bird looked at the boys with inquisitive eyes.

"Ndege-a bluu moto," said Jack.

The phoenix flapped its wings approvingly and the portrait slid up to let them through.

"What sort of password is that?" asked Kenichi, once they were inside.

"I looked it up in a dictionary," replied Jack, looking around the office with interest. "It's Swahili for 'bird of blue fire'. Considering the portrait, and knowing a bit of Swahili, it's pretty easy to remember."

Kenichi looked around him as well. "Yes, well… considering one eighth of the student population speaks Swahili it's not a very safe password."

"No," agreed Jack, stepping closer to the mahogany bookcases. "But you also have to remember the hand sequence and the time you must let pass before touching the wall again. And that sequence changes from time to time. I'm surprised it hasn't changed since we were last here."

Kenichi nodded mutely and went around Rego's desk. "So… any idea of where said files could be?"

Jack stopped to think for a moment. "Well… when I was in Dumbledore's office he mumbled something to a wall and the wall gave way to a meeting room," he explained. "Maybe there's a similar room here?"

"Hope not," replied Kenichi, opening the desk's drawers carefully. "If that's true, we're stumped."

"Aye," agreed Jack, scanning the bookcases. "Though there's nothing here, anyway… just books on Defence, and encyclopaedias."

Kenichi left the drawers alone and moved to the front of the desk. He dug his feet into the rug in the centre of the room and sighed. "Think… think…" he mumbled to himself.

Jack stepped away from the books and raised his eyes to the ceiling. There was something up there. He squinted in the grey light and for once he mentally thanked Paris the Vampire for his blood. His ability to see in the dark was a great advantage, as was his keen eyesight. With them, he managed to see the inscriptions that spiralled on the dark ceiling.

"Kenichi look!" he cried softly, pointing at the spiral.

Kenichi looked up. "At what? There's nothing up there except for the chandelier. Which is turned off, might I add."

Jack pulled out his wand and pointed it at the ceiling. "Lumos!"

Kenichi squinted in the faint light. "What the… ? What on Earth is that?"

"It's an inscription," whispered Jack. "Though I can't read it… the symbols are too small. Besides, I don't know what language that is... it looks like the one on the slab of rock! The one Tancred touched!" His wristwatch beeped.

"Nox!" he ordered his wand, extinguishing the faint light. "It's one in the morning, we better go."

"But we haven't found anything!" cried Kenichi, watching his friend stow his wand away and pick up his cloak.

"Yes we have," disagreed Jack, throwing the cloak with the silvery side upwards over his shoulders, so it looked like his head was floating in mid air. "The inscription. It's a spiral, like Ingoldstadt's seven towers, and the runes match the ones on the slab. It must mean something. Let's go to Tarway this weekend and get us a camera so we can take a picture of it and decipher it later. The files can wait a little longer. Just erase the footprints on the rug and let's go before Rego's back. We spent a lot of time looking for the offices."

Kenichi sighed in defeat and pulled out his own crimson stone wand. He pointed it at the rug and cried, "Reparo!" before walking towards Jack, who threw the cloak over his friend.

They made their way back to their common room swiftly and quietly. Everything on the way was cloaked by darkness and foreboding shadows, but nowhere did they see their professors. The full moon shone through the windows at rare intervals, and the howling of werewolves punctured the stillness of the night. Tancred was out there, somewhere, being taken care of by Sven.

As soon as Jack reached his bed, he opened the file they had found in the archives and began classifying everything in it. He spread them all over his bed and paused to tap his chin in thought. Now… where to start?

"Aren't you tired?" asked Kenichi, perched on his own bed.

Jack shook his head without taking his eyes off the array of papers. "Not anymore. I can't be."

The other boy shrugged. "Just asking. Mind if I help?"

The Dark Heir shook his head again, and beckoned his friend forward. "This is… wow," he said, scanning all the information before him. He picked up the paper where he had first seen his father's name and re-read it. Meanwhile, Kenichi picked up the photographs and studied them carefully, trying to find Jack's physical traits in any of the occupants of the pictures.

"This your dad?" he asked after a while, holding out a picture for Jack to take.

Jack grimaced before taking the photo. "He hated it when I called him that."

He squinted at the face of the teenager leaning on the frame of his photo and frowned a little. "Hmm… well, he's got black hair and brown eyes, but I think that by this time my father's eyes had already turned green… this one looks more like Ralph, actually."

Kenichi took back the photo. "This is Reuben Bloor?"

"Could be," shrugged Jack, before reaching out for a sheaf of envelopes. Each of them had a word or a name written on them: _Rius, Raven, Hawk, Christoff, _and_ Mine_ were just a few. "What in the world is this?"

Kenichi looked up from the pictures. "What's what?"

Jack didn't answer and pulled out the first letter from an envelope addressed to _Reus_. "Listen to this," he told Kenichi. "'_Rius, get out of the country. The shadows are closing in. Love, Yours.'_"

The Japanese boy lifted an eyebrow before reaching out for the next letter. "_'Christoff, let the Raven fly. The sky is safer. At summit, Hawk.' _This is crazy… couldn't get more cryptic than that."

"Wouldn't bet on it," said Jack. "Listen to this one… it's addressed to Christoff, too, whoever he is: _'Christoff, ashes. Bonfires leave ashes. Tend to the Raven's nest and be gracious to the visitor. Crimson, Grey.' _What on Earth is the Raven? It's the second time that it's mentioned."

"And what do _bonfires _have to do with anything?" agreed Kenichi. "Whatever this whole Keystone thingy is, it's not a fun puzzle."

Jack made a non-committal grunt, and pulled two letters from their envelopes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'_Mine, shadows need light to survive. Keep the lights off. Yours, Rius.'_

'_Hawk, the Raven's in the air. Hope the hunters are blind. Heads up, Christoff.'_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Dark Heir let out a strangled cry of frustration. Here was that Raven again! As alluring as this mystery was, he really felt like finding information about his father among all this evidence and not a nerve-wracking puzzle. He needed some hard evidence like the paper that had bluntly showed the name 'Tom Riddle'.

"Look!" Kenichi cried suddenly, holding up a picture. "There're twelve kids here! I bet this is the generation that paper spoke of."

Jack took the picture from Kenichi and read the caption at the bottom: Generation 4,970. "This is it!" he cried softly. "My father must be one of them!" He scanned the picture and recognized the ashen brown hair in one of the boys. "That's David Cineris… and then beside him is Diego, and I would bet my life that the boy standing next to Diego is none other than my father!"

Kenichi took the picture back from him. The kids immortalized by the photograph could not be older than seventeen: six girls were standing in the front, and six boys stood behind them. Some were fooling around, another was looking around without interest, two of the girls were laughing… the teenager that Jack claimed was his father had his arms loosely crossed over his chest, and his eyes occasionally darted distractedly to his left so he could catch a glimpse of something outside the frame.

"What do you reckon he's looking at?" asked Kenichi, awed by how much Jack and Tom looked like each other.

Jack shrugged. "Who knows? What I'd like to know is how he ended up in this picture. He was a Hogwarts student!" he added with a hint of desperation.

Kenichi lifted his eyebrows. "Easy, mate. We'll keep looking for clues."

Jack sighed and sobered up. "Right. You're right… I have to calm down. Would you pass over those journals there?"

His friend complied and Jack sat down crossed-legged to read the journal marked as Christoff's. He opened it at a random page:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'_I'm getting tired of all this searching for clues… it's incredibly annoying; travelling up and down, knowing beforehand that looking for clues on Keystones is useless. They're gone! Poof! Not here anymore! I'm sure even that bloody Shade knows that, and he's only coming after the Keys to be on the safe side. Another day goes by, as boring as the last… hiding with nothing to do. To top it off, we're running low on supplies. Oh joy. I can't even remember what day it is today._

_Fine, I'm done ranting. The Key hasn't stopped glowing since I called forth the light. I'm not sure if I should take that as a good sign, or a bad sign. Rius hasn't reported any news either, and Hawk has still to come back from wherever he disappeared to- never mind, he just walked through the door, and it looks like he's been stealing supplies. By Circe, he is getting bolder everyday… hope his stealing doesn't give us away.'_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack grimaced. Were these guys really looking for the Keystones? Why? He passed a few pages and settled down again. It seemed Christoff kept a daily record of their findings and of whatever was happening to the group at the time.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

'_Akira died last night. We were all asleep, and Grey was outside the tent as sentinel. No one noticed._

_She seems to have died in her sleep… that poison was too much for her, and Hawk couldn't brew the antidote in time. Now he blames himself for her death, and he's setting all of us on edge. Rius looks about ready to jump on him, and considering what he has done before, I wouldn't put it past him. Wish he would leave… the tension has been increasing since he arrived last week; especially because of the way he has been looking at Raven. She can sense it, too, and has stayed out of sight as much as she can. It doesn't help that Rius' Key keeps lighting up at odd intervals and blinding us all._

_We'll be cremating Akira as soon as we can. She and Hawk were our only Fire Wielders, so it will fall upon him to do so. Destiny is truly a cruel man. We'll have to move soon… I think a Tracker is on to us.'_

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now Jack shook his head and closed the journal. So the Raven was actually a woman? And Akira… wasn't she one of the girls mentioned on the list? He caught a glimpse of the picture with the twelve teenagers and his breath hitched in his throat. He felt a chill run down his spine. How many of them had followed Akira?

To top it off, Christoff had mentioned Mr. Tiny. Before he had heard of him, life just seemed to be cruel… but now it seemed that Christoff, just like Ralph, believed Des Tiny could mess with people's lives whenever he pleased, and Jack was beginning to believe it, too.

"Anything?" Kenichi asked suddenly. Jack looked up and met the other boy's amber gaze.

"This Christoff guy speaks about Keys and Keystones, and looking for clues… but the overall feeling I get from this is that he felt like they were losing their time," replied Jack with a sigh. "Also, it seems not all of them were using code names… Akira is plainly mentioned here. Any of these could be my father: Grey, Christoff, Rius or Hawk. Yours and Raven are girls."

Kenichi stifled a yawn. "What do you think about Taue leaving the school?"

Jack blinked at the change of topic. "I-I don't know, I hadn't stopped to think about it. If he leaves, Rego would step up… she's not bad. I just didn't like it when Taue implied he could die… I like him."

The half-magi tilted his head to the side. "I know… I like him, too, even though I've never talked to him. Who would have thought that he was the Keeper of the Yellow Key?"

"Yeah," agreed Jack. "And he knew my father once had the Violet Key. It seems everyone knows my father better than I ever did, too."

Kenichi's eyelids drooped. "Why don't we come back to this tomorrow?" he suggested, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "It's late, and we have classes in a few hours."

Jack gave the piles of paper a once-over and yawned. "I second the motion," he said half-heartedly. "Let's get some sleep."

Both boys stood up and gathered all of the evidence in their arms. They stored it away in Jack's trunk and each went back to their beds. Kenichi fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, but Jack stared at the ceiling in thought.

Why had his father given him the Violet Key and not explain a thing about it? Was it because he had not thought that he could die at any moment? Or worse, thought Jack with a sinking feeling in his stomach, did his father expect him to be clever enough, or powerful enough, to find a way of bringing him back from the land of the dead? What if he failed? What if he was left without guidance for the rest of his life?

The Dark Heir did not sleep that night.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Megan held out a small silver box with an envelope attached to it. "Looks like my dad's writing," she commented, reading the tag. "Careful with it. Your grandfather seems to have a love for pointy objects."

Kristy nodded and took the box from her mother. She then broke the seal and lifted the lid.

"Wow," she gasped. "It's beautiful."

The girl held up the necklace so her parents could see it. A leaf thoroughly carved out of a bright green gem sparkled as it hung from its exquisite platinum chain. The detail with which the leaf was made was stunning; shaped roughly like a triangle, small like a rosebud, and as thick as a toothpick. The chain in itself was incredible: Elven made and as hard as a diamond; thin as nylon thread.

She closed her hand around the gem that had left both of her parents open-mouthed and silently thanked her grandfather. This was, by far, the most beautiful and most original necklace she had ever received.

Kristy was not vain, not at all. Actually, her mother constantly asked of her that she behave more ladylike. She could not understand why other girls her age were so obsessed with clothes, makeup, shoes, hair, fingernails, boys, magazines or jewellery; Ginny was the only other girl she knew who behaved a little more like her (except for the boys issue), but that might be the result of having so many brothers.

She hung the chain around her neck and reached out for the letter that had come with it. An official looking wax seal, with a phoenix feather and a laurel crossing each other, held it together.

'_My dearest Aleani,_

_Happy Birthday! I cannot express with words how much I regret not staying in contact with you and your family for all these years. I can still remember the last time I saw you, my little hummingbird. I doubt you will remember me you were so young… I have missed you greatly, and I can only hope you will forgive your grandmother and me some day._

_The necklace that I sent you was among my most valued possessions, and I would trust no one with it but you. It is charmed so that no one but you or myself can take it off, but wear it all the time nonetheless. It will protect you so long as you offer it protection._

_With us being apart for so long, I felt it was necessary that we get together soon. Your cousins, Neddia and Luke, are dieing to meet you and your siblings, because there are so few children among the elves. Your grandmother wanted us to spend Christmas together, or if we can't, then New Year's Eve because there are such huge feasts in the palace. I think we can even arrange for some of your friends to come over, would you like that?_

_Please ask your parents about their opinions in the matter. We would really love having all five of you in the palace this winter break._

_Love,_

_Your Grandfather_

Kristy stared open-mouthed at the letter before rounding on her parents. "Palace?" she squeaked weakly. "And why does he call me Aleani? My name's Kristen."

Megan paled and Sirius' smile dropped. "Palace, Hun?" he asked nervously. "Did your grandfather tell you something about a palace?"

Kristy nodded numbly and handed him the letter. "He says they would like us over for Christmas or New Year's."

Sirius scanned the letter and his wife bit her lip, waiting for the inevitable confirmation that he was sure to give her: Her father had given Kristy a clue on the truth she and Sirius had been trying to conceal ever since she had broken ties with her family.

"What does it say?" asked Megan with a worried frown.

Sirius shook his head. "What Kristy said. We could, you know, not go…"

Megan gave him an exasperated look. "Sirius! They're my parents and I haven't seen them in years… I want to see them, and Katyn, but that would implicate-"

Sirius raised his arms in surrender. "I know! I know!" He sighed and glanced at Kristy, who was looking at her parents and their behaviour with alarm. "Kristy, get your brother… I think your mum and I have something to tell you."

The little redhead stared suspiciously at her father. "Why not Paige?"

"Too young," her parents answered at the same time.

Kristy blinked at them and left the living room to look for her little brother. "Orion!" she called up the stairs. "Orion! Where are you, stupid?"

"Don't call me stupid, stupid!" her brother called back from somewhere upstairs.

"Shut up, stupid!" replied Kristy. "Mum and Dad want you downstairs! They want to tell us something that has to do with Grandpa!"

She could almost picture Orion grumbling under his breath and giving his Quidditch magazines one last look of longing, before stomping out of his room. She saw him materialize at the top of the stairs and almost laughed at the dark look on his face. The young boy stomped his way down the stairs to let his family know how annoyed he was at the distraction and Kristy shook her head at him.

She followed her brother back into the living room, where her parents were already sitting on a couch and whispering urgently to each other. Orion propped himself on the coffee table and crossed his arms over his little chest. Kristy sat down cross-legged on the floor before her parents, and waited.

"Um, kids…" began their mother. "How would you like going to Lemuria these winter holidays?"

Orion perked up. "Lemuria? The all magical continent?"

Sirius nodded. "We might be spending both Christmas and New Year's Eve with your grandparents in Fatura. In… the Palace."

Orion's eyes widened until they were as big as saucers. "They have a palace!? Wicked! When are we leaving? What should I take with me? Or will they give me what I want? Wicked! Wicked! Wicked!"

Kristy lifted her eyebrows.

"Orion, darling," said Megan, trying to calm him down. Maybe Orion was also a bit young for this kind of information. "Do you know what it means that your grandparents own a palace?"

The young boy tapped his chin in thought. "That they're rich?"

Under other circumstances, Kristy would have let her face fall into her hands.

Sirius cleared his throat. "It means they are the Royal Family, the line of Auvrea."

Orion's grey eyes widened again. "They're the King and Queen? But where does that leave _us_?"

Sirius glanced at his wife for help. She took a deep breath and faced her shocked children. "Your Aunt Katyn is older than me, so she became the Heiress to the throne. Your cousin Neddia is next in line, and then Luke. We… _dear Merlin above…_ we're part of the line of Auvrea, but even though I could be called a Princess, you two would be a Duke and a Duchess. We would not rule unless something happened to your Aunt and cousins; I doubt anything will be happening to them anytime soon."

Kristy and Orion exchanged glances and then Orion broke into a maniacal grin. "I'm a Duke!" he cried excitedly. "I'm a Noble! Bow before me, Kristen!" he ordered playfully.

Kristy gave him a look. "I'm a Duchess, stupid. And I'm older than you. If anything, you should bow before me."

Orion sniggered and gave her a mock bow. "All Hail Duchess Kristen!"

"It's Aleani, actually," corrected their mother with a nervous smile. "That's her Elven name."

A look of understanding dawned on Kristy. "So that's why Grandpa called me that in his letter. Bow a bit lower, Orion, your head is still higher up than mine."

Sirius sniggered at his children's antics. "They seem to be taking the news rather well," he told Megan with some hesitation.

Megan smiled faintly, and actually giggled when Orion's head reached the floor while bowing to his sister.

"Do I have an Elven name?" asked Orion's slightly squashed voice.

"Everyone has an Elven name," replied Megan. "Yours is Daeron, mine is Alkdilien. Your dad's is Uthar and Paige's is Tulcadhiel."

Orion finally fell over but jumped to his feet almost instantly. "So… I am Duke Daeron of the noble Line of Auvrea and Orion of the noble House of Black! I'm seven and I'm so important already; imagine how important I'll be when I'm ten!"

Kristy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, you'll be so important you'll have to be assassinated."

"Royal pish posh, Duchess Aleani," replied Orion. "Now, if you excuse me, I must retire to my royal quarters," he added pompously as he left the living room.

Megan gave Sirius a look. "Sure, they seem to be taking it rather well," she commented dryly.

Sirius gave her a sheepish grin.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**A/N:** Soooo… this chapter ends here, but I felt compelled to show you the Elven names I've chosen for the characters to avoid confusion in the future :P

Also, I've finally managed to pull down the word count, so this chapter is a bit shorter than the past ones

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daeron (Orion)

Aleani (Kristen)

Tulcadhiel (Paige)

Uthar (Sirius)

Alkdilien (Megan)

Castien (Art/Grandfather)

Tegalad (Luke/Cousin)

Feredir (Stephen/Uncle)

Raina (Neddia/Cousin)

Faelwen (Katyn/Aunt)

Vanessë (Julia/Grandmother)


	17. Meeting Christoff

**A/N: Hey! I've been trying to upload this chapter all week now, but the servers wouldn't budge… but finally here it is!**

**Christmas **_**is **_**coming up, so I'll try to post a Christmas special on that day, but I'm going to Orlando this next Thursday and I'm not sure if I'm going to make it. If I don't, then the special will be posted a bit after Christmas and once I'm back in Mexico, ok?**

**If I don't see you guys again, then Happy Holidays!**

Chapter 16 – Meeting Christoff

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Wake up, Jack," called a beautiful, rich voice. "Wake up, my little one."

Slowly, Jack opened his eyes and white light blinded his vision. He covered his sensitive eye pupils with his hand and waited for them to adjust. When he could finally open his eyes, his gaze fell on a beautiful yet slightly intimidating woman. He shivered.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

The woman sighed. "I am your great, great, great, great, great, something great grandmother, Jack."

"But, wait… aren't you supposed to be dead?" the boy asked her suspiciously.

The woman smirked. "Of course I'm dead, Jack. We are in the Spirit Plane, you and I."

The boy took a moment to register her words. "If you're dead… and we are in the same plane then… wait a mo-I'm DEAD!?"

The woman gave him a dead serious look for a couple of seconds, and then broke into a smile. "No, you're not. At least not quite."

Jack gave her an exasperated look. "If you're trying to trick me again-"

"That was no trick," she interrupted him. "Your body is in a comatose state because of a curse your cousin used on you. I'm sure he has Hell raining on him at the moment."

Jack tilted his head to the side and gave the woman a weird look. "So I'm almost dead, and all the punishment Manfred gets is getting Hell to rain on him? How unfair can life be?"

The woman smiled. "But this is death, Jack. Death, like Life, is not fair. Or haven't you noticed that the innocents and the people worth saving are the first to go?"

With no answer to that, the Dark Heir lowered his gaze to the floor and tapped his knee with his fingertips. "Is everyone who has ever died here in the Spirit Plane?" he asked softly.

"I think so," replied the woman with clouded eyes. "Whether they were considered good or bad while they were alive, they are all here."

The Dark Heir frowned. "Then what's the purpose of Hell? If there's no Hell, how can it rain on Manfred?"

The woman burst out laughing. "Witty, aren't you? Listen, it may come as a shock to you but Manfred is hardly the one to blame for your condition."

The Dark Heir raised his eyebrows at her with something beyond disbelief. "He openly defied me, he was accepting the blame from the start. And he's probably proud of it."

"As a matter of fact," argued the woman, "Manfred is quite shaken for what he did to you. He did not know he could cause so much damage with a single curse. Foul play is involved."

"Foul play? How can there possibly be foul play?"

"Desmond Tiny."

'_Figures…' _he thought, as he tried to process the information. Desmond Tiny, _again_? What was it with the world these days? Desmond Tiny's domain? He gave the woman a once-over and frowned in thought… he was sure he had seen some of her features before. "Who are you?"

"My name," she said with a mysterious half-smile, "is Rowena Ravenclaw."

Jack promptly passed out.

Or he would have, if not for the comatose situation he already found himself in.

"Say what?" the boy asked dryly.

Rowena laughed, and Jack's mouth curved into a frown. What in the world was so funny?

"I am so sorry," she told him sincerely. "You just reminded me of Salazar so much with that tone you used. I have not seen him in a while. He might pop out from whatever hole he is in at the moment, if he hears you are here."

Jack's eyes widened. "He's here?"

Rowena tilted her head to the side. "Are you a Ravenclaw, or not?"

The Dark Heir stared reproachfully at her. "Of course I am," he defended himself with a hurt tone of voice. "It can't be my fault that my Slytherin side is blunter, can it?"

The female founder smiled kindly at him. "How could it? Give me your hand, I'll show you around while you wake up."

Jack stared at the offered hand and then into the woman's sapphire blue eyes that were so similar to his. "Now, I bet that's a sentence you never thought you'd say," he told her, taking her hand and being pulled up.

She grinned at him and spread her arms open. "Where do you want to start?"

Jack turned his head around and frowned suspiciously when all he saw was white. Limitless white. "Er… but, there's nowhere to go… um…"

"Really?" she asked him sarcastically. "Honestly, child, you have to mention a place you want to go to. This is, say, the Atrium. It leads to everywhere."

"Alright," he complained, grimacing. "Could I go home?"

Rowena smirked. "It's right behind you."

That's when he woke up.

He inspected the shadowy room with bleary eyes, and felt a bit of alarm when he couldn't recognize anything around him… not even his clothes, but his mind was so muddled that he hardly took any notice of this. There was one thing he was very aware of, however.

_Headache._

A pounding headache that resembled being hit over and over on his skull by a couple of bricks.

Now… what had that dream been about? Or was it even a dream? It had felt so real… he remembered a woman, being surrounded by too much white, and going home… the Spirit Plane, Destiny and… _Manfred?_

Jack growled at the back of his throat and buried his face in his pillow… so soft, he could fall asleeeee-NO! must… stay awake… _headache_… stupid Manfred, what had he done this time?

Ah, yes…

"_Oi! Half-blood!"_

_Jack took a moment to realize that whoever was calling was referring to him. He scowled and turned to the source of the voice. So much for Christmas holiday cheer._

"_What?"_

"_You and I! Outside! Right now!" called Manfred, angrier than Jack had ever seen him. So maybe he found out about the temporary effects of the exploding potion, and that he had spent the last two weeks fixing something that would fix itself anyway. Complete loss of precious time, in Jack's opinion._

_The Dark Heir raised an eyebrow at his eldest cousin. "Should I bring a sword?" he asked sarcastically._

"_Maybe you should stop teasing him, mate," mumbled Ralph, tugging nervously on Jack's sleeve. "It's no good when he's in one of his moods."_

_Jack huffed. "See if I care," he replied, snatching his wrist away from Ralph and striding after Manfred. They stepped out into one of the courtyards and both boys whipped out their wands. As they took their duelling stances, students from first, second and third year piled around them; Jack managed to make out a couple of familiar faces like Shancus' and Amy's before Manfred sent the first curse hurtling at him. Asa Pike and some other second years were cheering him on, but thankfully Shancus and Yin opted to remain quiet._

_Jack dodged and returned the curse with equal strength. He was determined to win this duel against Manfred… no more being outwitted by the older boy. He smirked when his cousin was forced to conjure a shield._

_Nora was yelling at them, begging them to stop. Amy's jaw was hanging open as she followed the curses back and forth, as if she were watching a tennis match. Tancred was yelling insults at Manfred. Ralph looked pale, not sure of whether he should support his brother or his cousin. Kenichi was pretty much imitating Amy. The third years were split in allegiances and were making bets on who would win. All in all, chaos had broken out._

_With a snarl, Manfred reflected one of the curses Jack had aimed at him. Jack dodged and laughed. "That the best you can do?"_

_The Bloor heir gritted his teeth and adopted a more aggressive stance. "Do excuse me, Half-blood! I've been affected by the two useless weeks of conjuring that you forced on me!"_

_Far from feeling insulted, Jack laughed. "I can't believe it took you so long to figure it out, Bloor. I mean, with the dungeons incident, and all…"_

"_Enough!" spat Manfred, unconsciously throwing pointy spikes of ice from his fingertips. Jack ducked, but one still managed to embed itself in his shoulder; he hissed in pain and glared at the other boy._

_The next few moments went by in a furious whirlwind of cries, flashes of colour, fierce movements, cheers and "Aaaaahs" and "Ooooohs". Neither heir of Slytherin was giving in an inch, and both were far from feeling exhausted. Until…_

"_Reducto! Anima Mortuus!"_

_For some reason he would never be able to explain, right after dodging the first curse, Jack merely stood and watched transfixed how the bright white light of the second curse got closer to him and finally made contact with his chest. After that, all he could recall was darkness and the snippets from the dream he had just woken up from._

He rubbed his eyes and then pressed the heels of his hands to his temples. The headache was going to kill him… stupid Manfred, beating him again. What was that curse he used? _Anima Mortuus?_ _Mortuus _for _Mortis_, which was death; and _Anima_ for soul… Dead soul? What in the world was Manfred trying to do to him?

The boy closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He wanted to fall asleep so badly… and he had to find out where he was… but after a short nap…

For the next few days, he spent more time asleep than awake. At times, he thought he could hear voices, but they were so blurry and distant he couldn't make out a thing they said. It was also always dark. Whenever he was unconscious he thought he saw flashes of something… faces he somehow knew but couldn't place, and they called him, talked to him, and asked him to send messages to their loved ones. He'd do it, except he could never remember them once he woke up.

It was one such day, after an old woman had been stalking him so he could send a message of vengeance to her husband who had apparently left her for a man, that Jack met the person he wanted so much to see. It was bliss hearing that voice again… he found himself wishing it wasn't only a dream; but like all good things it came to an end. He stirred and opened his eyes blearily; his head felt so heavy he felt he was in the bridge between consciousness and unconsciousness, but for the first time he saw a figure sitting on the edge of the bed. It was the figure of a grown man with jet-black hair… he smirked at the cruelty of it, seeing this man now of all times, but he knew how to play this game, too.

He faced the adult as best as he could in his state of grogginess and his smirk became a smile.

"Hello, Dad. Mum says hi."

He then passed out again.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kristy suppressed the need to kick her door and instead huffed and let herself fall on her bed. She eyed her new journal with a grimace and then turned back to glaring at the ceiling. How could her parents do this to her? She had been bursting to tell Harry the truth about her mother, and then her parents come and swear both her and Orion into silence. Turns out they had even hid the truth from their best friends.

"Politics are a dangerous game," her mother had said. "We never wanted to get our friends involved. It's… a complex situation."

"But it's just the Potters!" Kristy had insisted. "Maybe Remus, too. There's nothing wrong with getting involved in politics."

Her parents had exchanged glances. "Fine… there's more than just politics involved, it's complicated. Your dad and I will talk about it, ok?"

The little redhead reached out for her journal and mentally willed Harry to pick up a quill wherever he was and write. She had already told him she needed to tell him something, and he had said he needed to tell her something, too. He should be in Charms class now, so why wasn't he picking up his quill!?

_**-Kristy?**_

Kristy had been so absorbed in her frustration that she jumped when Harry's writing etched itself across a blank page. She scrambled for her own quill and ink and propped her blue journal on a pillow.

_-Harry! Hey!_

_**-Right, Flitwick's a bit distracted with Neville… he turned his ears upside down, somehow, so I'm taking advantage of the moment**_

_-Clearly…_

_**-Hush! Anyway, we discovered something, Ron, Hermione and I. Some corridor on the third floor is forbidden, but we went in by accident and found this huge three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor. Hagrid knows what's in there but he's not telling, and somehow some Nicholas Flamel got drawn into the whole issue. Does the name sound familiar to you?**_

Kristy scratched the tip of her nose with the quill and frowned. Flamel? Well it did sound familiar.

_-I've heard it, but I don't know where. Maybe my parents know?_

_**-No, don't tell!**_

The redhead blinked at the response.

_-Why not?_

_**-It can lead to awkward questions and it could get Hagrid in trouble. Snape suspects we know something already**_

_-But, Harry… if there's a three-headed dog in the school, well that's one hard to miss… what's it guarding?_

_**-No idea, that's what we're trying to find out. We just know Snape wants it. And we need your help figuring out who this Nicholas Flamel might be.**_

_-Snape?_

_**-Yes. And Hagrid mentioned something about other things aside from Fluffy guarding whatever is there.**_

_-Fluffy?_

_**-The dog.**_

_-Good God, Harry. The world's died._

_**-Blame Hagrid. Anyhow, what were you going to tell me?**_

Kristy suddenly hesitated. She bit her lip and twirled a strand of deep red hair in her fingers. There was no harm in telling him she might be spending Christmas with her grandparents, was there?

_-You know how we kind of had a plan to get together this Christmas, your parents and mine?_

_**-Yeah?**_

_-It seems I'm going to be spending it with my grandparents._

The girl tapped the white page with her fingertips and waited for Harry's response.

_**-Your grandparents? But you haven't seen them in years!**_

_-I know! I can't even remember them, but that's what my mom wants to do. Though my grandfather said…_

Kristy stopped writing abruptly and bit her tongue. To tell or not to tell… that was the question.

_**-Your grandfather said what?**_

She sighed and picked up her quill with a glance to her door. _Sorry, mom._

_-My grandfather said he could arrange for some friends to come with us, too. How would you like to come?_

Well, she didn't have to tell him everything. And her parents did say they would talk about it, didn't they? Maybe they would choose to tell the Potters the truth about her grandparents before Christmas and they would all be able to go to Lemuria. And if that didn't work out… er, her grandfather could be powerful enough.

_-So what do you say?_

_**-I dunno… I guess I'll have to ask my parents about that.**_

_-Okay… just not yet_

_**-How come?**_

_-It's a bit complicated. I can explain but not now. I'll look into this Nicholas Flamel person, ok? I gotta run._

_**-Oh, okay. Write on the journal if you find something, yes?**_

_-Sir, yes, Sir!_

_**-Alright. Bye!**_

_-Bye, bye, Harry!_

She closed the journal with a snap and stowed it away under her pillow. She didn't really have to go but the conversation was turning a bit dangerous in her opinion. First, she needed to know what her parents decided on the matter.

Making up her mind, Kristy jumped from her bed and stepped out of her room without a noise. Orion's room was at the other side of the corridor and she tiptoed all the way there… her brother was the best spy she knew, so why not take advantage of that? She knocked quietly on his door.

"Coming!" he called from the inside. He opened the door with a small frown on his face and he jumped when he saw his sister. "Kris, what-?"

"Hush!" she said, placing a finger over her lips. Her green eyes sparkled with mischief and her brother's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"What's on your mind?" asked the boy.

Kristy beckoned him closer and whispered into his ear. "Aren't you dieing to tell Miles that you're a Duke? Wouldn't you like him to come with us to Lemuria?"

Orion's eyes widened and he nodded his head eagerly. Miles Jasly lived across the street and was Orion's best friend since the two were babies. Miles' parents were good friends with their mother, so maybe they could convince them of letting Miles spend Christmas with the Blacks in Lemuria.

"What do we have to do?" said Orion.

"Right now I just want to listen to what they're saying," explained the girl. She peeked over the banister and bit her lip. The crystal doors that led to the living room were closed and keeping the voices inside; fortunately, Orion was an expert. "Can you do that?"

"How is that going to get Miles to Lemuria?" asked Orion, bewildered.

Kristy rolled her eyes. "Listen, I want Harry and Ron and Ginny to spend Christmas with us in Grandpa's palace as well. I just want to know if it's going to be possible."

Orion shrugged and walked past his sister. "The Duke's on the job, Big Sis."

Kristy restrained herself from killing him on the spot, and instead watched him saunter down the stairs. Once he was out of sight, she descended the stairs after him and went to her mother's small library. Somewhere here there had to be something on Nicolas Flamel.

The library was a pleasant spot in Kristy's opinion: the walls were lined with bookcases that reached the ceiling and there were comfy green armchairs before the fireplace and a double window. There were rugs on the wooden floor and a round cherry table sat in the middle of the room. She went straight for a book about magical world records and curled up before the fireplace with the book propped on the armrest. While reading, she discovered that Albus Dumbledore had found twelve different uses for dragon blood, that Brenda Cassidy was the only person alive who could wield white fire, the Eternal Flame, that Christoff McKnight held the record for the most devastating tornado created by Air Wielding, and that Ilau Taue had managed to freeze a tsunami before it hit a coastal town in the south of Lemuria.

She was absorbed with the hundreds of stories in the book within minutes, and kept reading and reading. The records were organized by alphabetical order, but before she could reach Nicolas Flamel, Orion burst into the room and almost crashed with the cherry table.

"Yes!" he cried with a huge smile on his face. "They said they would tell!"

Kristy closed the book and grinned at her brother, bursting with joy. "Really? Oh, Orion, this is great!"

"I know!" said Orion, jumping with excitement. "I'm going to invite Miles to Lemuria right now!" Kristy watched him jump once more and sprint out of the library. A few seconds later she heard keys jingling and a door swinging open and closed. Orion was gone.

She smiled happily and hugged the book to her chest. This was going to be the best Christmas she ever had.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Diego Hawkins pointed his stone wand at the sink and set the dishes to wash themselves noiselessly, knowing he should be careful not to wake his young charge. The boy was sleeping in the second floor just above the kitchen, which would not be a problem with any normal boy, but his godson was far from normal.

He had not been able to believe it when Andor Griggio found him in the capital of Ebur and cried that his godson was alive and well, studying in Ingoldstadt of all places. At first, Diego had wanted to pummel Andor to the ground for coming up with such a cruel joke, but the more Andor told him the more the whole story made sense. The attack to Downtown Ebur, Durza, Reuben Bloor, the exploding building, Paris the Vampire Prince, Emperor Hakan's life debt, the Violet Key… it wasn't so strange after all, considering Tom's position as the Dark Lord and his many connections. It was absolutely possible that Jack had survived the explosion and was tucked away in Ingoldstadt, safe from Albus Dumbledore. Now, one month later, the Riddle heir was unconscious in his house.

Luckily for the boy, after Akira's death Diego had spent every waking moment focused on becoming a proficient Healer; so when Andor had showed up at his house with a Jack whose soul was frozen by some Dark curse, Diego had found a cure that very night. Unfortunately, the vampire blood that had healed Jack's wounds in September was now interfering with the healing of his soul. The only solution he saw to that problem was removing every drop of vampire blood in the boy's system so the cure could work, but there was no way of doing that without Dark magic.

Again, luckily for Jack his godfather had nothing against mixing Dark magic with healing, and Diego's best friend happened to be a walking encyclopaedia of Dark magic and Dark rituals. Also, Diego's best friend happened to have been hiding with him for the last months. It was as if Destiny had planned it all from scratch, which by this point wouldn't surprise anyone.

Diego ran a hand through his messy brown hair and examined his reflection in a spoon. A tired blue-grey eye stared back at him as he twirled the spoon in his fingers. Healing had not come easy to him… as a Firewielder, he felt it went against his very nature. Fire could consume everything, it destroyed things, lives… but as his training as a Healer advanced, he realized that fire warmed up homes in winter, it produced nice meals, it set the stage for new growth. He realized fire could also heal. He knew Tom hoped that his son would also be an Airwielder, just as Sam had hoped that Jack would turn out to be a Waterwielder like she had been; but Diego deeply hoped that his godson could be a Firewielder.

He dropped the spoon into his empty cup of coffee and laughed. It would be hilarious that little Jack turned out to be an Earthwielder; just the kind of prank Destiny would pull to drive them all mad with frustration.

"Laughing alone… you've finally lost it, Diego," drawled the voice of his best friend from the doorway.

Diego didn't even spare him a glance. "Shouldn't you be lying down? That magical coma was not fun to deal with; I'd be very angry if you slipped into it again, brother."

He barely heard the other man walk across the kitchen and sit down on the other side of the table. It was his friend's nature to make as little noise as possible when moving about… something that had been drilled into him by experience.

"You know perfectly well that I can't lie down," snapped his friend. "Not now that he's… well…"

Diego finally lifted his eyes from his cup and stared at his friend through half-closed eyelids. The other man was staring into space and tapping his fingers on the table. He was nervous… or worried. No one could really tell what _he_ was feeling.

"The kid's fine," Diego reassured him. "He's stronger than I thought he'd be. He'll pull through."

"And if he doesn't?"

"Didn't _you_?"

His friend snapped out of his trance and gave him a mild glare. Any other man might have melted with fear at such a look from those cold red eyes, but Diego was quite used to them by now and waved it away. He knew it was worry that fuelled his friend's impatience. Being led to believe that Jack was dead only to receive news that he was actually alive had fried both their nerves.

"That's different," hissed the black-haired man. "I'm an adult, he's a boy. In my case we were dealing with my magic, but this is his soul we are talking about."

Diego scratched his cheek and rested his chin on the table. "True, brother, that's very true. But think about this: he already survived the extraction of vampire blood; that could have killed an adult but somehow he pulled through. He's just weak from blood loss."

The glare intensified and this time Diego actually felt a chill run down his spine. Once he had realized that the cure was having no effect on Jack because of vampire blood, Diego had failed to mention to his friend that removing the vampire blood from the child could kill him. When the danger had passed and the cure had begun to work, Diego had confessed to his friend all of the risks they had taken, and in less than two seconds he had found himself running away from a volley of Dark curses he wasn't even aware existed.

His friend held the glare for a few moments and then settled down, once he knew he had gotten his point across. "He woke up a moment ago," he said.

Diego's eyebrows rose. "Did he remain awake?"

"Nah… told me Sam said hi, then he passed out again," replied the black-haired man nonchalantly. "He just won't stay awake."

Diego sat back and drummed his fingers on his cup. "Nothing new then. At least he's not in a coma."

His friend growled and glared at the dishes. Diego laughed.

"Cheer up, brother! Jack's alive, and it's almost Christmas! It's a time for cheer, and mistletoe, and snow fights, and food, turkey, wine, and… and joy!"

His friend stared into space and massaged his temples. "Sickening joy…" he muttered.

The Firewielder rolled his eyes with amusement and chuckled. "You're unbelievable, you know that, brother?"

The other man made a non-committal grunt and stood up. "I'm off to raid your library, if you don't mind," he announced as he stepped out of the kitchen. He had barely made it to the stairs when a cry of excitement made them both jump.

"Father!"

Next thing Diego knew, a black blur slammed into his friend and the black-haired man cried, "What the-?"

The brunet was first stunned, but as the reality of the scene dawned on him he began laughing. "Just like you said, Christoff! Sickening joy!"


	18. Encounters

**A/N: **Finally! This one took forever to finish, but it must have something to do with me going back to the 7000-word chapters… anywho, I'm celebrating because I have a new cat! Lol I so needed a pet to kill the loneliness and my sister's constant bitchiness ¬¬

**Chapter 17 – ****Encounters**

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

James sat back on his sofa and stroked his chin before sharing a glance with Remus. Sirius blinked innocently back at them. "Let me see if I got this straight…" he began. "Twelve years ago, Dumbledore sent you on a mission to Lemuria to seek out Voldemort's headquarters and that's where you met Megan; she loathed you but you won her over in the end. That much we know. And now you're telling me she's royalty?"

Sirius shrugged and blew a strand of black hair off his face. "Sort of-_ish_, yeah."

James attempted to speak but he ended up uttering gibberish. His best friend laughed at him merrily and explained again. "Meg's father graduated from Ingoldstadt, he's no royalty by blood but by marriage. Art's a pureblood wizard, but Julia, that's Meg's mother, she is a full Elf and was reigning over Fatura when I met Megan. Meg is kind of the family's rogue, and her sister is the goody-goody two shoes who will inherit the throne. We convinced her parents of letting Meg go so she could have a normal life, with a normal job and kids that wouldn't be pampered by a thousand servants while Meg and I tended to hypocritical nobles… Art was very helpful, but the price was that we had to lose contact. We didn't, of course… until Kristy turned three. Now he's sent Kristy a present and is practically begging us that we spend Christmas with them, and that we bring you along. So you coming?"

"Er… I don't know," replied James sincerely. "I'll have to talk to Lily about it. And there's Ethan to take into consideration, too. And Harry has to be told-"

"Kris told him already," cut Sirius with a grin as his grey eyes sparkled with mischief. "Those journals we got for her birthday proved to be dead useful."

"Right," said James. "But how the hell did you meet a princess?"

Sirius grinned. "I was her sister's bodyguard. A cover so I could look for Voldemort without being noticed. Art was fascinated."

"Bet he was," muttered Remus, smiling at a window in the Potter's living room. Sirius was one of the best fighters the Order had, so it would make sense that working as a bodyguard had brought out his natural talent.

Sirius stretched out his arms and propped his feet on the armrest. James frowned a little. "If Lily catches you sitting like that-"

"… She'll scream at me and we'll be miserable," cut Sirius. "What's new?"

James laughed at him. "You never cease to amaze me, Sirius Black. So now we have nobles in the family? Now all you have to do is keeping Prince Charming away from your little redhead," he said in an annoying singsong voice.

Sirius sent him a dirty look. "No silly boy, son of a couple of crazy aristocrats is getting close to my Kristen," he stated stubbornly. "As a matter of fact, no silly boy is getting close to my Kristen, full stop."

Remus chuckled at him. "Getting a bit overprotective, aren't we, Daddy?"

Sirius threw a cushion at the werewolf and Remus laughed.

"Chill, Black," sniggered James. "Kristy's going to want to be with a boy one day, and if she's as headstrong as her mother is then nothing you do will stop her."

Sirius groaned and sunk into his seat. "I know… but she's still my baby girl and I want her close while I can."

His two friends gave him sympathetic looks and all three looked up when they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Sirius immediately set his feet back on the ground.

"Hello, boys," greeted Lily, once she was on the doorway. "Ethan just fell asleep. He's even more restless than Harry was," she added, sitting down beside James. "What's new?"

"What isn't?" smirked Remus.

Lily raised a red brow at him. "Turning quirky, Mr. Lupin?"

Remus just smiled.

"Actually, there is," replied James, casting Lily a side-glance. She turned to look at him expectantly and rested her chin on her hands. James gave her an uneasy smile. "Would you say I'm rushing into things again if I told you that we'll be spending Christmas in Lemuria?"

Both Lily and Sirius were left with their mouths hanging open.

"You're really coming?" asked his best friend.

James grinned. "If the lady agrees, then I don't see why we shouldn't."

The three men turned to look at Lily and the redhead closed her jaws. "I, wow… Lemuria? Lemuria, James? Where in Lemuria? I mean the continent is enormous."

Her husband tapped his chin with his fingers. "Fatura by the most part, but I've considered spending a couple of days in Ebur. I've heard it's among the most beautiful countries in the continent. Downtown Ebur is two days away from being opened to the public again."

"But wouldn't that be too expensive?" asked Lily, concerned.

James shrugged. "We have enough money to survive three lifetimes, Lils."

The redhead realized she had run out of plausible excuses and fought back a broad smile. "Well, James, you did rush into things again and I would normally berate you, but Lemuria is way too tempting for me to knock you unconscious this one time. We're going!"

"YES!" cried Sirius, doing a little victory dance.

His friends laughed at him and then James dropped the bomb on his wife. "There's just one thing you need to know, Lils."

She tilted her head at him with curiosity and James gave her a nervous smile. "What, James?"

"We won't be staying in any sort of hotel in Fatura. We're staying at Sirius' in-laws' palace… knew you'd love the idea!"

Lily took but a moment to realize that she was not being the subject of a joke. "Oh, Merlin, Sirius… you didn't!"

Sirius grinned. "I did."

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

Lily first looked stunned, and then she began laughing in earnest. "You can't honestly be telling me that Megan is Queen Vanessë's daughter!"

"How do you know who's ruling Fatura?" asked James, bewildered.

"General knowledge, Prongs," answered Remus, straightening his robes.

"So we're all coming?" asked Sirius suddenly.

The other three nodded eagerly, Remus not in the least bit annoyed at the interruption. Sirius clapped his hands once and jumped to his feet.

"Well, in that case I'm off to tell Megan the good news," he grinned, grey eyes twinkling with mischief. "I'm sure Kristy will be thrilled! Aaah, and now I have to go talk to the Weasleys, too and convince them of letting us take Ron and Ginny with us."

Lily sighed. "You do realize that Molly will try to pay for their expenses?"

Sirius laughed. "As if I would let her!" he cried heartily. "Molly won't have to use a single Knut if I can help it, not this time."

"Oh, well," sighed James. "We'll help! But first Molly and Arthur have to agree."

"Of course," agreed Sirius, bowing at the same time as if to say good-bye. "I'll see you guys when the kids come back from school!"

His friends waved good-bye at him, and with a smile and a soft 'pop', Sirius was gone.

With the start of the Holidays only four days later, Harry and Ron returned to Godric's Hollow, where they would meet Ron's parents, as well as Ginny and the Blacks. It had taken a considerable effort to convince the Weasley matriarch of not paying a thing, but in the end Mrs. Weasley had given in.

Now the small troop was standing by the door, waiting for the Blacks to make their appearance at the Potter household, so they could all take a portkey to the shores of Wales and board one of the cruisers that would take them to Lemuria.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack tried very hard not to jump out of his chair with excitement. His father, his very own, his one and only father, was sitting across the table, mere centimetres away. A few times already he had been about to ask how on earth he could have survived, but each time he tried his voice would fail him. His godfather, Diego Hawkins, was standing by the counter making another cup of coffee, watching the two Riddles with amusement. The boy rested his chin on the red cherry table and tried again.

"How did you-?"

"You've grown."

Jack blinked. "Yes, of course, but-"

"But you look thin. Any particular reason?"

"Huh?"

Tom lifted an elegant black eyebrow in response.

Jack seemed at a loss for words. "I guess I… um… well I spent almost three years wandering the streets… you don't really get good nourishment there, do you? Um… so how did you-?"

"I suppose you received the cloak with the note?"

"Oh… so that was _really_ you?" asked the boy, now suitably distracted. "My classmates were scared of the note belonging to you, actually," admitted Jack, lowering his sapphire blue eyes to the tabletop.

"I would have thought you of all people would recognize my handwriting," drawled the adult, absentmindedly tracing circles on the table with a finger.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I didn't see much of your handwriting when I was a kid, to tell you the truth. What's with the whole 'Christoff' business, by the way?"

"It's an alias," called Diego, stirring his coffee. Both Riddles turned their heads in the direction of the man, and he chuckled. "I swear you two could be clones."

Tom grimaced and ran a hand through his hair. Jack tried very hard not to imitate him, opting instead for scowling.

"So, Father, how did you-?"

"The new school seems to suit you," commented Tom randomly.

"Why are you avoiding the question?" asked Jack suddenly, irritation taking over.

Diego chuckled again and took a seat at the table. "Don't worry yourself over it, kiddo, we hardly understand ourselves."

Jack lifted his eyebrows. "You haven't even heard the question."

Tom shot him a look that clearly said that his heir should not underestimate them, and Jack shivered. The red eyes, combined with the black robes, made for an impressive effect. "You want to know how I survived Durza, and I can't answer that. All I know is that whatever happened took a lot out of my magical core and threw me into a coma for about nine months until my magical levels were somewhat restored. There is no more story to it."

Jack clicked his jaws shut and contemplated his father for a moment. He then broke into a grin. "Whoa, I missed you." And he had… he just couldn't believe he missed blunt, aggressive answers to his questions.

Diego smiled at the pair. Little Jack was actually not so little anymore; the kid was sharp for his age, and there was something in his eyes that spoke of experience. His young face was alight with happiness at having found his father well and alive. Tom, on the other hand, could not be more unreadable. His face was completely blank, and if it weren't for his body language Diego would have no clue as to what the other man was feeling. Sam had been the only one capable of reading the Dark Lord with deadly accuracy.

"Daniel, your father went through-"

Jack blinked, startled. "Wait, what did you just call me?"

Diego rounded on Tom. "You haven't told him?"

For the first time, Tom seemed confused, his brows furrowed in thought. "Told him what?"

"You mean I haven't even told _you_?" asked Diego, passing a hand through his unshaven jaw. He stared into space as he tried to remember. "Man, I must be getting Alzheimer or something…"

"Told us what, Diego?" asked Jack. It was the first time that he referred to his godfather by his first name in a very long time. It felt good to be able to do it again.

Diego shrugged. "Ah, well… when you were still unconscious I took the liberty of meeting with Andor and making some _arrangements_."

Jack and Tom shared a glance. They both knew Diego very well, and the way he had said the word 'arrangements' did _not_ bid well.

The brunet continued speaking as if he hadn't noticed their reactions. "I thought to myself: 'The whole magical community believes Tom and Jack to be dead so they have to hide, but we can't live like that forever', so then I thought of your old alias, Tom, and I took the liberty of registering that you had had a son sometime ten years ago."

"And you named him _'Daniel'_?" hissed Tom, frowning.

Diego considered the question for a moment. "Yup. I did."

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Can you please explain a little further?"

His godfather smiled. "I made you a second identity," he replied. "I mean, you can't go running around the world as Jack Riddle now that the world believes you're dead."

"But my friends-"

"You will still be 'Jack' to your friends," cut Diego, gently. "But from now on, when you meet someone outside of Ingoldstadt you will introduce yourself as Daniel McKnight, got that?"

Jack was about to argue but thought better about it. So being Daniel McKnight didn't sound so bad… Daniel, son of Christoff; it did have a nice ring to it. "Ok, Diego. I'll try to remember."

His father laughed humourlessly. "Try? You _have _to remember, brat. Unless of course, you want to give us away," came the scathing reply.

The boy scowled at his father and crossed his arms over his chest. There was no use in arguing with the man… he would always come out on top, anyway. Sparing himself a confrontation, Jack turned to his godfather instead. "Where are we, Diego?"

The brunet shrugged. "My home in the outskirts of Ebur. Downtown was just reopened to the public, by the way, should you want to pay a visit."

Jack nodded slowly. He took a deep breath and tried to order his thoughts. There were so many things that needed to be said… so many things _he_ had to say. "So what day is it? How did I get here? How long was I out? What happened to you while I was gone? Did you look for me? Why didn't you come home when you said you would?"

Tom lifted his eyebrows and repressed any sign of discomfort. "One question at a time, boy. It's December 22nd, you've been out for a week, and Andor brought you here. The mediwitch in Ingoldstadt had no experience with your ailment, and taking you to a hospital would have been plain stupid. Diego's home was the obvious solution."

"But what happened to me?"

Tom and Diego exchanged a quick glance.

Finally, Diego sighed. "The curse that hit you, _'Anima Mortuus'_, is fairly new, which is why the Department of Mysteries doesn't know much about it. Basically, it paralyses your soul and makes it lose contact with the body, making it useless. Fortunately, that Bloor kid didn't cast it correctly and we managed to make your soul and body reconnect."

Tom narrowed his eyes frighteningly. "I'm going to kill that kid. His father will be next on the list."

Jack's eyes widened. "Father, you're not serious, are you?"

His father didn't reply, and that unnerved Jack even more. Sure, he didn't like Manfred, but killing him was going a bit over the line. He knew his father would have nothing against killing the entire Bloor family, if it came to that.

Diego cleared his throat before the tension escalated to an unbearable level and stood up with his now empty cup of coffee, saving his friend from answering the boy's question. "Know what? I'm going to take a nap… leave you guys to catch up on a few things." He left the cup in the sink and seemed to hesitate before shrinking out of the kitchen without glancing back.

Jack held his breath and avoided looking at his father. If someone was going to break the silence, it was not going to be him.

"So where have you been?" asked Tom quietly.

Jack made a movement between a shrug and a wince. "Places?"

The man glared.

Jack felt it and shrunk a little. "I just don't know if I'm ready to tell you, yet. I mean, after Mum was killed… it's been almost three years, Father. I sort of blocked them, and I really don't want to remember."

"You don't want to remember?"

"They weren't pretty, ok?" replied Jack, barely restraining himself from snapping. That would certainly not go down well with the Dark Lord. "Besides, I haven't seen you for almost three and a half years… what happened? Why didn't you come home when you said you would?" he repeated.

The Dark Lord looked away from his heir. "Things came up. Things not important right now, but that managed to hold me back for a while back then."

"A whole month, you mean," muttered Jack bitterly, before he could stop himself. He could swear he saw his father flinch, but it could just have been the light playing tricks on his eyes. And who was he to blame? He loved his father and had missed him awfully, but he still resented him for leaving them yet again and causing his mother so much pain.

Throughout Jack's whole life, Tom had taken extended trips to Britain, justified only by the fact that he had a duty as Dark Lord. Six months after Jack's seventh birthday, he left again and promised to be back by the end of November, except he wasn't.

That was when Jack's mother began getting very agitated. It soon became obvious to the small boy that his mother glanced over her shoulder too many times and that she had begun alienating herself from the people she knew. She wouldn't let Jack out of her sight either… and then she was killed.

The boy in question sighed ruefully. "I'm sorry," he blurted.

The Dark Lord lifted an eyebrow. "About what?" he asked dryly.

"About Mum. They were after me, not her. She was trying to protect me… if I had known how to-"

"Don't be ridiculous," cut Tom, rolling his eyes. "You sound like an Order member, always blaming themselves for what goes wrong. If anything, I should have been there."

Jack looked away in shame and sighed. "It's her death anniversary tomorrow. I swore to her that I would visit her death place on that day, every year, seeing as there is no grave. Would you mind terribly if I sneaked out tomorrow and visited?"

Tom sat back on his chair and studied his heir. Jack tried not to flinch under the soul-baring scrutiny. Finally, the adult spoke. "Where is this place?"

"Savannah Alley, just outside Downtown Ebur," answered Jack automatically, giving his father a searching gaze of his own.

The Dark Lord nodded, thinking to himself. "When Durza attacked me, my magical levels went down… too dangerously low; almost killed me. It seems it will take a couple of years for them to be as high as they used to be, so be careful in the streets tomorrow and remember your alias. I'm not ready to reveal myself to the Magical world just yet, so make sure you don't screw up and I have to come out and save you."

Jack's face brightened and he grinned slightly. "Don't worry, I'll remember I'm '_Daniel_' now, and that my father's name is Christoff." He stood up with a new spring in his step and began heading for the door. "I won't let you down, I promise," he added when he reached the doorframe. Then he paused and smiled meaningfully. "And you know, about Mum… it's not your fault either, _Dad_."

Tom watched the boy leave the kitchen before his heir's words finally sunk in.

'_If anything, I should have been there…' _he had said.

'_It's not your fault either, Dad…' _the boy had replied.

A grin began forming in his face and then it stopped. _Had the brat just called him 'Dad'!?_ He glanced at the table and cursed when he saw no heavy objects to throw at him. He growled and glared at the spot under the doorframe where the boy had been. In the distance, the 'brat' had the nerve to laugh.

The next morning, Jack literally sneaked out of Diego's house, leaving no note behind. He only took his black Obsidian wand, a pouch filled with Sickles and a warm travelling cloak.

Outside, the snow covered it all from head to toe, giving the surrounding forest a mystical feel. The wind was not unbearably cold, so Jack found he would have no use for a scarf today. Finding what could be a path, he began walking at a leisurely pace and concentrated on leaving the trees behind. He knew that as soon as the canopies were gone, he would be able to see the tallest spire of the Emperor's ivory palace in the distance, as well as the mountains that surrounded the city and then the endless expanse of ocean.

He was so happy with the way things had turned out these last days that he actually felt like humming, but again he was too proud for that.

When he left the forest behind, the sight that met him could have very well been a postcard. The citadel of Ebur was built as circles within circles, separated by manmade canals and joined by bridges. On the innermost circle, a massive white palace made of ivory reached out for the skies, its pointy spires lost among the low clouds. Then came the evergreen gardens all around the structure, surrounded at the same time by the Great Golden Wall and the first canal.

On the second circle were lavish homes and buildings belonging to the Ministry. Here were the training grounds for the aurors and offices belonging to the council and other Ministry members. The lavish houses belonged to dozens of nobles and aristocrats, famous athletes and successful aurors or healers, rich enough to buy lands close to the Emperor. Next, came a ring of theatres, hospitals, libraries, restaurants, music halls, nightclubs, malls, and plazas; most everything in this ring spoke of socializing.

Then came the middle ring, otherwise known as Downtown Ebur. Everywhere on the middle ring were independent businesses, shops, inns… underneath this particular ring was the fabled Court of Miracles, known only to those who thrived in the underworld. Hundreds of tunnels criss-crossed the area, a web that communicated the whole citadel and was useful to thieves… unless they got lost.

Around Downtown were more gardens, several Quidditch pitches, museums, and then modest homes. From then on, the circles faded into wilderness and the occasional estate, dotting the mountains that encased the citadel like a natural fortress disappearing into the ocean. With 2 million inhabitants, Ebur was the most populated citadel in the country, seeing as it was the capital. Beyond the mountains were the other six citadels that made up the country, each with its own landmark that set it apart.

Smiling at his home, the Dark Heir braced himself for the long walk that lay ahead before he could reach Savannah Alley. He couldn't wait to learn how to Apparate.

Close to an hour later, Jack was finally standing on the red cobblestone floor of the main street in Downtown. People were milling about even at this time of day, staring in awe at the colourful buildings and the bands playing their music every fifty metres or so. He turned left and looked around as well. The attack hadn't changed it much… or at least not this part. He knew the darkest side of Downtown would have remained untouched, since Durza had had no need to destroy it, and Savannah Alley was part of it.

He remembered running down this very street after his mother. The night had given them some sort of cover from their pursuers, but still, it had not been enough. Sam had known an entrance to the Court of Miracles and had intended to take shelter inside, but as she made a turn in Savannah Alley they had met a dead end.

Jack stopped at an intersection and looked up at the sign overhead.

_Savannah Alley._

He held his breath and contemplated it for a few moments, trying to hold back the memories from that night. There was nothing special about this alley. It housed mostly inns with nasty innkeepers… but since that fateful night, the alley seemed to be deserted.

He had been here last year, when he made his promise of visiting every year, vowing never to forget what she did for him. He let go of the breath he was holding and slowly made his way to the dead end. It was eerily quiet in here… as if he really were in a mausoleum covered in snow. He sat down with his back against a wall and unconsciously remembered the blood turning the snow scarlet.

The boy closed his eyes and fought back a knot in his throat. _I miss you, Mum._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Jack clutched the Violet Key in his left hand as he watched a boy around his age beg his mother to let him take a look around with his friends. Jack smirked when the woman massaged her temples. _Tourists_.

Having left Savannah Alley behind just a few minutes before, the sapphire-eyed boy decided to spend some quality time poking around the newly rebuilt Downtown. If he was lucky, he might even see Gauri the werecat again. The constant begging on the children's part made him turn back to the argument going on just a few metres in front of him. He couldn't make out what they were saying from here, but it seemed typical enough.

Finally, the father stepped in and took the boy's side. Both had black hair and glasses, while the mother had red hair. Apparently, she gave in because the small group of children suddenly cheered. Jack gave the group a closer look: three boys, two girls, one toddler, one baby, and two couples. He idly wondered how on earth could four adults handle seven kids.

The five older children took off in the direction of the flying equipment shop, while the adults went back to their inn. Having nothing better to do, Jack followed the group of kids and prayed that he wouldn't run into Crow and his two lackeys.

He found them staring in wonder at the prototype of a glider: a device that looked like a colourful Musto skiff Muggles used for sailing… except the glider was meant to float about a metre above the ground, not over the sea.

"What is that?" asked the smallest boy.

"It says here it's called a Glider," answered the redheaded boy. "Hasn't hit the market, yet."

"Do you think it'll replace brooms?" asked the redheaded girl with the brow eyes.

The other girl, redheaded, shrugged. "Nah, brooms must be faster. Besides, you couldn't possibly play Quidditch with these.

Jack frowned slightly. Why were there so many redheads?

"Let's go inside and take a look around," proposed the boy with the round glasses.

The whole group agreed and climbed the steps into the floating building. Jack waited for a few moments before following them. Once inside, Jack found the shop had not changed since Durza's attack. The racks were still full of Quidditch equipment, kits for broom-care, helmets, gloves, posters, everything. To one side of the shop was a display of the Quidditch robes worn by Ebur's national team in all their wine red, black, gold and white glory. He found the group gazing at them with interest.

"Who do you think is captain?" asked the redheaded boy.

"Dralion," supplied Jack, not really noticing he had answered. "She's Seeker, too."

The small group turned around to look at him, and Jack nearly slapped himself for practically jumping into the spotlight. How could he be so stupid? What if they recognized him?

"_She_?" repeated the redheaded boy, surprised. The others looked at Jack expectantly.

He offered them a disarming smile. _Please don't recognize me._ "Evangeline Dralion, yeah. Ever heard of her?"

"I have! Of course!" cried one of the girls, grinning from ear to ear. "She's the best female Seeker in the world!"

Her brother huffed. "No she's not, Ginny."

Jack frowned, his patriotic side wounded. "Yes she is," he argued, locking gazes with the taller boy. "She's been awarded medals by the Emperor, and won the Lemurian Tournament. Of course she's the best."

The second girl rolled her eyes. "Never mind my friend, here. His macho though guy persona just stings."

The other three laughed at the redheaded boy, who was in turn fuming at them.

The girl waved hesitantly at him. "Hi, um… I'm Kristen," she introduced herself. "Kristen Black."

Jack grinned at her, and inwardly smirked. Time to bring out his new name. "I'm Daniel McKnight. Nice to meet you."

She smiled and then turned to her friends. "These are Ginny and Ron Weasley, my brother Orion and… um…"

The boy with the glasses sighed and looked down, but Jack had already recognized him. There was no way _he _would not recognize the bolt-shaped scar on the other boy's forehead.

"You're Harry Potter," he breathed, his eyes going wide. _You almost killed my father, you little son of a-_ "A pleasure. To meet you, I mean."

He stared at the scar for a moment before remembering his place and looking back at Kristen. "So what are you guys doing here so late in the year? Holidays? Or just passing by?"

"Passing by, actually," replied Orion, speaking for the first time. "We'll be leaving tomorrow."

Potter looked up, pleasantly surprised at the fact that _'Daniel'_ had not shown much interest in him. HA!

"You?" asked Ginny.

Jack shrugged. "I live here," he answered. "_Have_ lived here all my life."

"So you must know this place like the palm of your hand," commented Ron.

The Dark Heir nodded. _You have no idea._

"Do you know where we can find a Pet Emporium?" Kristen asked suddenly. "I'm starting school this September and I'd really like a cat… but I haven't found one I like."

"I know just the place," replied Jack. "I can take you there, if you like."

The group nodded eagerly and Jack rolled his eyes. So easily convinced by total strangers… no wonder it was so easy to kidnap the Light side's children.

"This way, then," he told them, beckoning them to the exit. He distinctly remembered seeing an emporium close to Aldrick's Wand Makers the last time he was in Downtown… maybe it was still standing?

The troupe followed him without question chatting animatedly among themselves. During the short trek, Jack learnt that Weasley and Potter had both been sorted into Gryffindor, and that the rest of the kids were also looking forward to being in Gryffindor. He tried not to recoil in disgust at the preference of the red and gold House over any of the others. At least Kristen said she wouldn't mind being sorted into Ravenclaw… his mother had been one.

"Here we are," announced Jack, showing them a shop two stores down from Aldrick's that seemed to be covered in fur and feathers. "If you don't find what you're looking for in here, there's nowhere else you'll find it."

Ron whistled at the odd building and then laughed. "Blimey, who covers a building with fur?"

Jack shrugged. "Them, apparently. Let's go."

Again, he led the way to the door and out of politeness held the door open for them. He considered letting it snap shut on Potter's face, but the chorus of 'Thanks' and 'Thank you_s_' made him hold back. He did glare at the back of the other boy's head, though, and almost burst out laughing at how childish he was being.

"Coolness!" cried Orion, looking around with wonder. All sorts of animal sounds reached them from everywhere, flashes of colour dotting the place. "This place is huge!"

"I like it better than the Owl Emporium in Diagon Alley," commented Ginny, giving a few tentative steps into the shop. Instead of being dark and dank, this Pet Emporium was clean and rather homey, with certain areas designed to look like habitats.

Jack also looked around with interest. He had visited this place with Gauri, but it had been completely different before the attack. "They remodelled," he supplied. "It's never been so clean before."

"Awesome," said Potter, squinting at the owls on the other side of the shop. Jack gave him a side-glance and frowned. This was the saviour of the Magical World? Really, now…

"Cats are to the right," muttered Jack, pointing; his eyes still trained on the emerald-eyed boy. He could go home and inform Father of the recent developments… but he had said he did not want to come out into the open until his magical levels were back to their old height. _You got lucky this time, Potter._

"Thanks, Daniel!" called Kristen, already making her way over to the meowing fur balls. Not wanting to be left alone with Potter for fear of what he might do to him, Jack promptly followed her

"Say, do your parents know you're about to buy a cat?" he asked her, falling into step beside her.

She hesitated. "Erm… no…"

Jack laughed. "Good girl. I had a cat once… but I lost her during the attack. Her name was Gauri."

Kristen's face fell. "I'm sorry about that," she said sincerely. Either because the boy had lost his 'cat' or because he had been in Downtown during the attack, Jack did not know.

He shrugged. "Don't be, it wasn't your fault."

She nodded and then stared at him through narrowed eyes. "Do I know you?"

Jack's blood ran cold. Had she had recognized him? "I don't think so… or at least I had never seen you before."

_Lie. _He did remember her. If not her face, then her name… the memory was suddenly at the front of his mind. The morning Andor saved him from Hogwarts, Dumbledore had greeted the famous Sirius Black… he had been holding his daughter. _Black. Kristen Black!_

The girl in question tilted her head slightly. "Seriously… you look _very_ familiar."

Jack tried not to look nervous. "Who knows… a lot of people look alike. Harry looks like me, for example," he suggested. As unnerved as he was by the revelation, it was true. He and Potter did resemble each other, what with the black hair, pale skin, similar height and build they could be brothers. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Tom Riddle and James Potter _did_ look alike, except Tom's hair was manageable and he had that haughty aristocratic air about him that reflected on his physique, giving him that Dark Slytherin aura everyone seemed to be so afraid of. James, on the other hand, wore his emotions on his sleeve and the constant smile on his face made him a Gryffindor by excellence.

The boy's answer seemed to satisfy Kristen because she mumbled an agreement and dropped the matter. Jack sighed in relief when she was not looking and turned his eyes on the many cats and kittens. That had been a close call.

"Any colour in particular?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Haven't thought about it, actually. Yellow, tabby, black… not sure," she added, casting glances over the felines.

"How about this one?" asked Jack, lifting a grey kitten with white paws. "If I were looking for a cat, I'd take her."

The redhead stood beside him and smiled at the kitten playing with the boy's fingers.

"Socks," Jack said suddenly. "Sounds like a fun name."

Kristen laughed and stroked the kitten's head. "Socks?"

Jack shrugged and laughed, too. "Why not?" he asked, handing the small cat to the girl. "Or you can translate the word into another language. Like Elvish."

Kristen tilted her head with amusement. "You know the word in Elvish for '_Socks_'?" she asked, allowing the kitten to climb on her shoulder.

Jack tapped his chin in thought. "I know… Narya, I think."

The redhead grinned slyly and turned her head toward the kitten, now playing with her hair. "Hello, Narya," she greeted her new pet. "I guess Daniel has convinced me of taking you with me."

The boy in question offered a shy smile.

"You got your cat yet?" called Ron from the area housing owls.

Kristen turned her head to the source of the voice. "Yeah, I think so," she called back. She looked for the rest of her friends with her eyes and found Ginny cooing at some fur balls, Orion chasing lizards and Harry looking at snakes.

The blue-eyed boy, very deep, dark blue she noticed, grinned at her. "Do you have enough money?"

"Um, I think so…" she mumbled, trying to pry the small cat from her shoulder, but Narya's tiny claws held fast to her back. Kristen eyed the older boy. "Daniel, would you…?"

Jack to a few seconds to realize she was talking to him. "Ah, sure, sorry about that…" he muttered awkwardly. He picked the small white paws from where they were stuck. Narya meowed in protest but then curled up in Kristen's arms.

They walked up to the counter and Jack saw a rack with collars. One section was dedicated solely to cats. On a whim, he picked out a stormy light-blue collar and brought it to the counter where Kristen was paying.

"Throw this in, as well," he told the seller, handing over the collar. He turned to the startled redhead and smirked. "On me."

Kristen spluttered. "Daniel, no! I can't take it-"

"Non-sense," cut Jack, paying ten Sickles for the collar. "I talked you into buying Narya, and I even suggested her name. It's the least I can do for making you pay for her and going behind your parents' backs."

She tried to reply but found she had no voice. "But I don't even know you," she argued feebly.

Jack shrugged. "I'm Daniel. Nice to meet you."

Kristen blinked at him, bewildered, and then laughed.

'Daniel' smirked. "Besides, it's not like I'll ever see you again, so why not?"

"That doesn't make any sense, but when you put it like that…"

"Come on! Let's go!" called Ron from the door. "There's still a lot to see."

The pair moved away from the counter and met with the others once they were outside. Jack moved to the front and spread his arms open. "So where do you want to go?"

For the rest of the morning, Jack showed them the most popular sights in Downtown, occasionally throwing in a comment or two on how the place had looked before the attack. They were a good audience, and even Jack had to gasp at some of the changes made to the place after Durza's raid. The architects seemed to have made the best out of the tragedy. He had hit it off best with the two girls, and at times with the youngest boy. Ginny was a Quidditch fanatic, and it seemed that so was her brother. Their banter provided nice entertainment for the others… Jack almost forgot he was practically sharing his oxygen with Potter. Almost.

As for Harry, it did not take him long to notice that McKnight gave him a wide berth. It was sort of obvious that McKnight answered his questions as curtly and as impersonally as possible; at times, they even seemed to carry an underlying made of steel. He supposed that the only thing keeping the other boy from ignoring or snapping at him were deeply engraved manners. He was probably one of the few well-bred Slytherins.

He didn't mind that McKnight didn't like him. He was like a subtler Malfoy. What irked him, he thought, as he heard Ginny and Orion laugh at some comment McKnight made, was that the guy didn't seem to have a problem with anyone else, even if they were Gryffindors and he was a Slytherin.

It was close to 2 o'clock when three things happened simultaneously.

Narya jumped from Orion's arms, who was holding her at the time.

A deep male voice called out, "Children, over here!"

And yet another male voice called, "Daniel! Where have you been all morning!?"

As Harry turned to the source of Sirius' voice, Jack whirled around to meet the sight of his startled godfather, and Kristen and Orion rushed after the grey cat. The two Weasley children seemed confused for a moment, but then chose to help the Black children recapture Narya.

She didn't go far, considering that the main street was packed with groups of people and kittens didn't run very fast. Sirius, though, was a bit surprised that his children had ran away from him instead of greeting him. Narya ended up crashing against Diego's legs and her pursuers nearly crashed into the brunet, as well. Jack winced. He _so_ was in trouble.

"Dear Merlin, I'm sorry sir!" called Sirius, rushing to his children's sides. "They're my children, I'm sorry."

Diego bent down to lift Narya into his hands and scratched her ears. Standing straight now, he gave Sirius a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, my nephew has done worse."

"Uncle Diego!" cried Jack with indignation, catching on to his godfather's idea. The brunet winked a blue-grey eye at him.

"Is this little one yours?" Diego asked, directing the question at Orion.

Kristen cast a shy glance at her father. "Yeah, she's mine…" she admitted. Diego handed Narya over to her and she held her gingerly, waiting for an explosion.

"Yours?" Sirius asked, confused. "You bought her?"

"That would be my fault, sir…" confessed Jack with his head bent, not because of shame but because Sirius would most likely recognize him. "I talked her into it."

Kristen started at the boy's lie. Chivalrous, but still… he shouldn't put himself on the line for her.

Diego laughed at his godson. "Corrupting people already, Dan?"

Jack offered an impish grin, showing he wasn't sorry at all.

Sirius shook his head at his daughter. "We'll talk about the cat later. Lunch is waiting."

"And we have to go home," Diego told his young charge. Jack seemed to be about to protest, but wisely held his tongue.

"Fine," he sighed in defeat. He glanced at the group of children he'd met that morning and noticed how his godfather stepped back to give them space. "I suppose this is where I leave you," he told them. "I've been away from home all morning and Dad must be going berserk." He laughed inwardly at the mental image of the Dark Lord pacing up and down Diego's house, glaring at the front door and cursing Karma. "So… good bye, then."

The other five youths exchanged glances and all said their good byes. Harry and the Weasleys went after Sirius first, and Orion rushed to catch up with them, calling 'Bye, Daniel!' and waving cheerfully. Kristen hung back a little bit and grinned meaningfully at him.

"Thanks for not telling my dad," she said. "For everything, really."

Jack shrugged. "Any time," he replied, stroking Narya one last time. "Bye, Socks."

Kristen gave him a last smile and went after her friends, leaving Jack to stare after her and the bespectacled boy who had almost brought about Lord Voldemort's downfall.

Jerk.

Diego stood behind him and clapped the boy's shoulder. "So where were you, really?"

Jack winced playfully. "Places?"


	19. Fatura

**Okie guys, picture this…. We are officially 5 chapters and an Epilogue away from the end! Serious, the chapters are already named and all, and I'm writing a little bit on each as inspiration strikes.**

**Wow… now I'm nervous!**

**Chapter 18 - ****Fatura**

Kristy fished around in her pockets for the collar Daniel had bought for Narya. She clasped it around the kitten's neck and set her down on the floor before closing the door to hers and Ginny's room. Her mom was making sure her husband didn't play any pranks on the poor cat, like they all expected him to do, but still it reassured her that Narya would be sleeping in her room.

"So he was kind of cute," commented Ginny, exiting from their bathroom and drying her face with a fluffy white towel.

"Who?" asked Kristy, completely puzzled.

"You know, your boyfriend?" smirked Ginny with a Weasley-twin-glint in her eye.

"Oh, please… I had never seen him before, and I'll never see him again."

Ginny laughed. "I'm just teasing! Though it's funny how you knew who I was talking about right away."

Kristy huffed as a small blush appeared on her cheeks and turned back to her pj's.

Ginny laughed again. She was really getting a kick out of this. "Did you see his eyes? Had you ever seen that shade of blue?"

"Not really, no," admitted the green-eyed redhead. "Maybe it's got something to do with him belonging to an all-magical continent."

The other girl tilted her head in contemplation. "Maybe, yeah… anyway, are you ready to meet your family?"

Kristy sniggered as she got into bed. "That sounds so wrong on so many levels."

Ginny imitated her and sat down cross-legged under the covers. "It does, actually."

"But it's true," continued Kristy with a shrug. "All I know about them are their names and roughly what they look like. I haven't even seen pictures."

The Weasley girl yawned. "They're royalty; their photos should be all over the media."

"If there are, I haven't seen any."

The girls jumped when they heard knocking on their door.

"Time to sleep, you two!" called Sirius' voice from the other side of the wood. "Our Portkey leaves at seven so we have to be up very early. We're spending both Christmas Eve and Christmas in Fatura, so good night!"

"Good night, Sirius!" replied Ginny.

"Night, Dad!"

They heard the man's footsteps fade away and then the two girls exchanged smirks.

"You sleepy?"

"Nope. You?"

"Hardly."

The two redheads sniggered devilishly and settled down for a long nightly girl-talk.

At six-o' clock sharp, Lily went to knock on the girls' room, knowing she would have less trouble with the girls than with the boys. When she got no response from the inside, she walked into the room and saw the two girls deep under their covers.

"Kristy, Ginny," she called. "Time to get up! Up, up, up!"

The head that belonged to Sirius' daughter turned towards her and she cracked a green eye open. "Hey, Aunt Lily. Sleep well?"

Lily smiled at her goddaughter. "From the look of you, I think I slept better than you did, darling. You stayed up late talking, didn't you?"

Kristy now looked fully awake. "No… or well, maybe just a bit…"

Lily laughed softly. "I'm a girl, too, Kristy. I know how it works. Can you wake Ginny while I get the boys? We should be having breakfast in half-an-hour."

"Okay," said Kristy with a yawn. "See you, Aunt Lily."

"Bye-bye," replied the older witch. She walked back into the hall and closed the door behind her. She idly wondered how her family had ended up with so many redheads.

Inside the room, Kristy was throwing pillows at Ginny, trying to get her to wake up, but it seemed the Weasley girl was more like her brothers than initially thought. Kristy growled at the lack of response and finally got out of bed; she considered splashing water on the other girl but then thought it to be a rather cruel measure, so instead, she pushed all of the pillows to the floor and then pulled the covers off Ginny.

"Hey!" she protested. "Stop it, Kristen!"

"Lily's orders," explained Kristy, smirking at her friend. "Breakfast is in like twenty minutes. Now, where's Narya?"

Ginny groaned and hid her face in her pillow. She was not a morning person, even if Kristy seemed to be. She heard the other girl moving about their room, moving chairs and bags, looking for the cat she had bought the day before.

A soft meow drew their attention to the bathroom, where Narya seemed to have found refuge. Kristy quickly snatched a set of clothes from her bag and went to the bathroom, ushering Narya out. Ginny sniggered at her friend, who for some reason was on a rush, and got out of bed as soon as she heard the water running. She stared at Narya, who was sitting on the foot of her bed and looking curiously at her.

"I hope your owner doesn't wake me up like this when we get to Hogwarts," Ginny told her. Narya only titled her head.

Exactly twenty minutes later, both redheads were walking down the stairs, showered and fully dressed; Narya cradled in Kristy's arms. It was Christmas Eve, and since they were going to a palace both were wearing nice robes. Kristy's were light blue and Ginny's were pale yellow.

Already waiting for them were Lily and Megan, holding Ethan and Paige respectively.

"Look at you!" cried Megan, eyeing her daughter appreciatively. "You girls look beautiful! Are those the dress robes we bought?"

Kristy rolled her eyes at her mother and Ginny nodded eagerly. Her family couldn't afford buying stuff like this, and she wouldn't have accepted them from the Blacks and the Potters, but they had said it was an early Christmas gift so she and Ron had to give in and take the dress robes, thanking the two families profusely.

"We're just waiting for the boys now," Lily told them, leading the way to a dinning room. "Breakfast is already served, so we might as well start. Remus is already at the table."

When they went in, they found Remus reading the newspaper with a rather shocked expression on his face. "Emperor Hakan's dead," he announced when they approached. "He died this morning."

"Really?" asked Lily, sitting down across from him and sitting Ethan on her lap, while Kristy put Narya down and sat beside Ginny. "How?"

Remus shrugged and folded the paper. "It's not known yet, but Prince Tersias suspects poisoning because the Emperor was as healthy as a horse. He'll ascend the throne come the New Year."

"Poisoning?" asked Megan. "Wouldn't that count as murder?"

"There's going to be an investigation," replied Remus. "If it was murder then this country is about to enter very dark times."

Kristy and Ginny tuned out the adults, turning to their breakfast instead. Who cared about politics anyway?

They had barely started on their eggs and bacon when Harry and the others walked through the door, looking as if they had been run over by a herd of hippogriffs. When they sat down, Remus again mentioned the Emperor's death and how it was a mystery. James grimaced.

"Which means it's good we're leaving early," he said. "If there's going to be an investigation, they won't let anyone out of the country."

The other adults agreed silently and began eating faster. The faster they were out of Ebur, the better.

When they were done, the bartender walked up to them and handed them a length of rope. "This is your Portkey," he explained. "It will activate at seven, sharp. Be sure you don't leave anyone behind. It was nice having you with us."

James cocked an eyebrow at the man's back and took the rope. "Right, everyone stand up and let's go outside. We have like four minutes left. Next stop, Fatura!"

"I hate Potkeys," muttered Kristy, eyeing her grey kitten before picking her up. Orion nodded his black head in agreement and followed his big sister out of the dining room and out of the inn. James tied the rope in a circle and beckoned his friends and family to hold unto it.

Kristy's blood tingled with anticipation. She was nervous about finally meeting the other half of her family, but she was also happy about it. Now she would be able to thank her grandfather personally for the necklace she got for her birthday.

"Six," said Sirius, looking at his watch. "Five, four, three…"

"Two!" cried Orion.

"One," said Megan.

Kristy felt the infamous pull on her navel as her feet left the ground. She felt her shoulders bump against Harry and Ginny, but that was nothing compared to Narya's sharp little claws imbedded in her skin. She would be very sore in the morning, though.

Finally, they touched ground again and the green-eyed redhead would have hit the floor if someone hadn't caught her and Ginny. Harry though, wasn't so lucky. The poor kid seemed to have a curse on him whenever travelling methods were involved. Kristy looked up to see the face of her rescuer and met forest green eyes very similar to hers. It was a boy, maybe a little older than herself, grinning with amusement.

"Hello," he greeted cheerfully. "I'm Luke. I'm guessing you're Kristen?"

Kristy's jaw dropped open as she tried to stand up. She straightened up and felt Ginny do the same thing just beside her with a slight blush on her face. Narya was still clinging to her chest for dear life "Yeah, I'm… I'm Kristen. And this is Ginny," she added hastily. "I suppose you're my-"

"Cousin?" suggested Luke. "Yup. Let me give you a hand."

Her cousin, Luke, had directed his last words at Harry and extended a hand to help him up. Harry took it with a bit of hesitation and allowed Luke to pull him up.

Kristy finally got a good look at the boy. He was tall for his age, as elves were supposed to be, he had her same eyes that marked them as relatives, and he had strawberry blond hair that fell over his eyes.

The group of wizards and witches had landed in a clearing in the middle of a forest of tall birch trees that hid anything else from view, except for a few blond and brown heads that poked from between the trees, looking at them with sincere curiosity and even some amusement. There was not a single one that wasn't beautiful or graceful. Kristy's parents were standing across from her and trying to get Paige to calm down, who had gotten scared by the movement of the Portkey, and then there were the Potters beside Ginny going through a similar crisis with Ethan. The other two members of the group, Ron and Remus, were not so well off either. It turned out Ron had lost balance and crashed into Remus, so they both ended up in the ground. Their welcoming party, a handful of elves armed with bows and arrows, stood in a ring around them on the borders of the clearing trying to hide smirks. This was their grand entrance.

"Such travelling methods you wizards insist on using," commented an elf. His blond hair was long, as customary for adult elves, and it was held in place by a decorative wooden crown, clear amusement in his eyes. "With so much magic at your disposal one would think that you would have invented more comfortable transports," he added.

Kristy's mother was the first to recover. "Hilarious, Feredir," she told him. "I'm pretty sure I didn't miss _you_," she added cheerfully.

The elf grinned.

"Hey, you're Harry Potter!" Luke cried suddenly, looking at Harry's scar. "You're that wizard kid that survived the Killing Curse! I had no idea my cousin was friends with you."

Harry shrugged. Luke's excited cry had drawn the attention of everyone in the clearing to them. He hated it when the attention centred on him.

"Harry Potter?" said a girl's voice not so far away. "Here?"

Luke rolled his eyes and groaned. "That's my sister," he explained. "Her name's Neddia and she's the Heiress to the throne 'cause she's older. She's a bit of a goody-goody."

Kristy whirled around to see her other cousin for the first time and saw a thirteen-year-old girl clad in a pink robe almost identical to Luke, except she was, well, a girl. There was an air about her that spoke of obsessive propriety and girly_ness_ to boot. Kristy idly wondered if she had met her complete opposite.

Orion's head suddenly popped out of nowhere. "Who's the girl in hot pink?"

Ginny smirked and hit the back of his head. "Don't be so loud, Orion, you're going to make me laugh."

Kristy giggled at her brother and glanced around the clearing while her cousin approached them. She then sniggered at Ron, standing beside the adults and looking lost. He sent her a pleading glance but an elf maiden chose that moment to pinch his cheek. Kristy had to laugh.

Neddia finally reached them and made a small curtsy. Kristy greeted her with a bow of her head but before anything else could happen Luke jumped on his sister and clung to her shoulder.

"Don't be such a stiff, Ned," he said nonchalantly. "We're among family here, you can drop the act."

"Tegalad! Get off your sister!" scolded the blond elf.

Luke let go of Neddia and bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Father, it won't happen again."

"Feredir, leave the boy alone!" called Sirius.

The elf turned around and glared daggers at the wizard. Sirius grinned cheekily.

"Stay out of this, Black," Feredir called back.

"Nice welcoming party, uh?" whispered Harry in Kristy's ear.

A sudden squeal of happiness interrupted all possible confrontations and made them all jump. A brown-haired elf suddenly ran into the circle of adults and hugged Kristy's mother as if her life depended on it. Megan returned the hug awkwardly, doing her best to keep the elf maiden from squashing the scared toddler in her arms.

"Hello, Marina," choked Megan. "Where's Faelwen?"

The brunette let go of her neck and grinned. "Your twin was held back by the council. She was supposed to be here with her husband and kids, but an issue came up this morning; something about Emperor Hakan's death. I missed you so much, Alkdilien! And you haven't changed a bit. Ah, Sirius… you still here?"

Sirius shrugged and rolled his eyes at the group of children. "Evidently."

"Hmm," said Marina disdainfully. "At any rate, this here is Feredir, I'm sure you know him. But these two are quite new," she added excitedly, pointing at the _elflings_. "They're my godchildren, Alkdilien! Neddia, or Princess Raina, and Luke, or Prince Tegalad."

Luke waved and Neddia inclined her head politely at the adults. Feredir, though, bowed slightly to the Potters and Remus before offering his arm to Megan. "Welcome back, Princess Alkdilien. It has been a long time."

Kristy's mother smiled warmly before taking his arm, making Sirius cringe. "Thank you, Feredir. Even though I must wonder just how long a long time is for an elf. It is good to be back."

Feredir smiled at her and then turned to Sirius. "Uthar," he stated dryly as a greeting. Sirius answered with a sarcastic smirk, causing Remus to elbow him.

Harry and Kristy exchanged glances at the attitude the elves were displaying towards Sirius. Both Marina and Feredir were speaking curtly and dryly to him, like McKnight had spoken to Harry the day before. They really couldn't fathom why, when Sirius was such a likeable person.

"The carriages are waiting for us," Marina said suddenly, speaking to the clearing at large. "One for the young ones and one for the adults. They will take us to the palace in just a few minutes. If you will follow me…"

She turned around gracefully, making her teal robes swell, and led them into the trees. James and Lily, who had not said a thing yet, followed her first, carrying a squirming baby. Remus followed, and then Feredir leading Megan and Paige. Sirius trailed behind them with a scowl on his face, muttering darkly under his breath.

"Shall we?" asked Luke, offering an arm to Kristy and another to Ginny. The redheads shared amused glances and took the boy's arms, hardly noticing how Harry looked startled or Neddia's disapproving stare.

The group then hurried to catch up with the adults, Harry and Orion urging Ron to move faster, but the redhead was wandering about the clearing in a trancelike state, staring at the forest in awe ("Blimey, they're elves, Harry!" he kept muttering. "Real elves!").

The carriages were grand wooden contraptions with silvery wheels, pulled by what Harry first assumed were black horses, until he noticed the golden horns sticking from their foreheads. He blinked a couple of times and came to a halt, drawing Neddia's attention.

"They're Xanadu," she answered his unspoken question. "Black unicorns from Arx Crystallus, you know, Ingoldstadt's island? They're almost extinct. They didn't exist here before, until my grandfather brought them along."

Harry nodded absentmindedly and kept walking but kept his eyes on the animals. Why did he feel like he had seen them before? He had no time to dwell on it, though, because his friends had climbed into the carriage while he had been musing. A grown elf ushered him into the carriage and closed the door after taking a peek at his scar. Harry fumed.

The royal siblings were seated close to the window and looking at the group of young witches and wizards with curiosity. There was a slightly awkward silence in the carriage until it began to move and Luke decided to break the tension.

"Do you really go to schools for learning magic?" he asked suddenly.

"Of course we do," said Ron, jumping at the chance of speaking to an elf. "We go to Hogwarts. It's the best school in the world for learning magic."

"I thought Ingoldstadt was the best," argued Neddia.

Ginny tilted her head at the Princess. "Then how come no one knows of it?"

"She's got a point, Ned," commented Luke. "Wish I could go to schools like that," he added wistfully.

"_Shush, Luke_!" scolded Neddia. Luke glowered at her and ignored her.

Orion's eyes opened as big as saucers. "You don't go to school?"

The elves exchanged glances. "We're only part witch and wizard because our grandfather is a wizard, but we are three fourths elves. We wouldn't be admitted into a normal school of Witchcraft and Wizardry," explained Luke.

Understanding dawned on Kristy's face. "And Orion, Paige and I do get to go to Hogwarts because we're three fourths witch or wizard. Does this mean you can't do magic?"

"We can," admitted Neddia, twirling a strand of strawberry blonde hair in her fingers. "We're being home schooled by our grandfather, because the rest of the family is scared that if we leave we'll become a part of the Wizarding world like you did. They're afraid that if we do, the throne will be left without an heir. Especially our father."

"He's a pureblooded elf," continued Luke. "We're not the first half-bloods, but we're rare. Most half-bloods are half Muggle, because elves distrust witches and wizards on the most part."

Harry was taken aback. "How so?"

Luke shrugged, but Neddia answered. "It's not natural," she said. "The way you have the universe at your disposal, and how you can bend nature to do your will. We don't like it."

"What's so strange about that?" asked Ron. "It's been done for millennia."

"Elves did not marry wizards for millennia, either," said Neddia curtly. "Our grandparents are a first."

"Well, I don't have a problem with it," argued Luke, glaring at his big sister. "What if I fall in love with a witch?"

"You don't know any witches, Lukan," replied Neddia.

Ginny and Kristy were about to protest but Luke was too much into the heat of the argument to notice.

"Only because you're betrothed to a pureblood elf doesn't mean I have to be, too," he growled. "Drop it, Neddia. I'll convince grandpa Castien of letting me go to school, you'll see!"

"Father won't have it," insisted Neddia, glaring back at her little brother. "Besides, the school year's started."

"So what if I'm a year behind? I could go to school in Ginny and Kristy's year!" he cried stubbornly. "So long as I learn proper magic I won't mind."

"Guys!" cut Ginny. "Knock it off! What's going on?"

"And no arguments, please," added Kristy, noticing her cousins wanted to answer at the same time.

"Neddia?" prompted Harry.

The girl rolled her eyes. "Lukan has wanted to go to a magic school ever since he learned that our grandfather was a wizard and that we could do magic, too. Our grandfather approves but our grandmother and our parents don't."

Luke crossed his arms over his chest and leaned on the wall of the moving carriage. "Yeah… they want me to stay here so they can marry me off to some duchess or baroness and make the Kingdom stronger, and the Elf Clans can be united and all that jazz," he turned to Kristy and smiled grimly. "That's why your parents left, you know that? So you could be free to learn magic and marry whomever you want."

"Whoa…" said Kristy, looking down at her hands as the weight of the situation fell on her. She had never loved her parents more than at that moment.

Orion whistled. "Being royalty royally sucks, doesn't it?"

The others laughed, even Neddia who had been so proper the entire trip.

"I suppose it does," admitted Neddia quietly with a small smile on her face. "I mean, I'm betrothed. He's two years older than I am and the only son of some noble from the Black Forest. But I'd like to be free to meet whomever I wanted and not in my parents' circle of friends. Luke is lucky of not being the heir to the throne."

Luke shrugged. "I suppose. If I move fast enough I can do the same as grandma Venessë and find the girl I love before someone decides who it has to be."

"Love?" asked Harry. "Isn't that a strong word for our age?"

"Not when there's a danger of being betrothed."

Harry nodded and fell back on his seat. He tried to picture the law forcing him to marry someone because he hadn't moved fast enough. He shuddered.

"How old are you, Luke?" he asked.

"I'll turn twelve in a couple of months, why?"

Harry grinned. "Maybe you could go to Hogwarts with Ginny and Kristy. We know the Headmaster personally, and he's a great man. He let a werewolf study there, so why not you?"

Ron perked up. "Yeah! Dumbledore is the best Headmaster Hogwarts has ever had. He would let you enrol!"

Luke gave them a wary look, not daring to believe them. "You think so? Do you think my parents would let me go if Dumbledore said yes?"

The group of witches and wizards nodded eagerly.

"Luke…" said Neddia in a warning tone. "Don't you dare get your hopes up. Father and Mother will have none of it, you know it."

Kristy narrowed her eyes at her cousin. "Well, if it were me I wouldn't listen to my parents. I'd write directly to Dumbledore and ask for a scholarship."

"Not one to follow the rules, I see," commented Neddia offhandedly.

Kristy smiled sweetly. "From time to time."

Neddia shook her head. "And I suppose that your parents would take you back every summer and let you leave again every September?"

Kristy opened her mouth, and then closed it again when she realized she had nothing to say about that.

"See why we don't go to school?" the elfling said sadly.

"I don't get you, Ned," said Orion suddenly. "Do you, or do you not want to go to school?"

Neddia rested her head on the window. "Sometimes. I just wouldn't like to leave home, so home schooling is proving good to me."

"I want to go to school so badly!" complained Luke. "I want to see some world, not Fatura all the time. I want to meet new people."

"You will," said Harry, flashing the elf a grin. "You'll see, we'll talk your family into letting you go. Our parents can help."

Luke grinned back as the carriage came to a bouncy halt. An elf opened the door for them and waited for them to file out before closing the door behind them with a soft 'click'. The group of adults had been in the carriage in front of them, so they were already walking ahead, towards an enormous white palace that twisted and turned with the trees to the point where it was difficult to tell tree from palace. Several terraces and balconies poked here and there from the highest branches, a good 75 metres from the ground.

The group of young witches and wizards were left speechless at the graceful power behind the structure… almost as if the palace were _alive_. On closer inspection, Harry noticed that the thickest columns were actually very wide trees with white barks. Most probably some kind of magical tree that only grew in this Kingdom. There was something definitely magical about the place, but not in the way Hogwarts was magical… here, there was harmony, and music hanging in the very air.

"You live here?" asked Orion in awe. The young boy's grey eyes were as large as saucers at this point. "This is… it's not… you can't live here!"

Luke laughed at his little cousin. "We do live here. Wait until you see the rest of the kingdom! There's archery school, and forgeries, and stables, and the fields-"

"We can give you a tour as soon as you meet our grandparents," offered Neddia, brushing some invisible dust from her robes. "Maybe you can even learn to shoot an arrow."

"Cool," said Ron with a dreamy look on his face, completely missing Neddia's disdainful sniff. "I am so in!"

Harry frowned at the elven princess. Elves were not supposed to be arrogant, were they? He hoped the attitudes of the elves he had met so far were directly linked to them being nobles… he wouldn't be able to stand a Christmas surrounded by arrogant people.

The inside of the palace was just as stunning as the outside: the white marble floors reflected the light coming from the crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling; silver highlights here and there sparkled when the light hit them. They had arrived at a great antechamber with stone archways all around them instead of walls, decorated with gold vines. The Grand Staircase and the Ball Room were further in, as well as the Banquet Hall. The rest of the Royal family was supposedly waiting for them there.

Feredir led the way in, standing tall and proud with a carefree smile on his face. Marina and Kristy's mother were still chatting, catching up on things like the old friends they were, occasionally including Lily and James in their conversation. Remus had exchanged a few words with Feredir already, and the elf seemed pleasant. Sirius, though, was another story.

"Your Dad doesn't like mine," commented Orion to Luke.

The elfling sighed. "Not a lot of elves will like him here," he said with an embarrassed grimace. "Elves are millenary creatures, so they're very conservative. They're not used to wizards marrying elven maidens."

"But what of your grandparents?" asked Harry with a hint of desperation in his voice.

Luke shrugged. "Grandpa didn't take Grams away," he offered as explanation. "He took up our customs and learned to live like an elf."

"Oh," said Kristy, averting her eyes. "I certainly can't imagine Dad leaving behind the Wizarding World, especially when we were at war."

"No, I suppose not," agreed Luke, shrugging. "I wouldn't leave my friends to fight a war either."

"We're here," announced Neddia suddenly.

The group stopped in front of a pair of grand wooden doors. ('Bloody Hell, everything in here's grand!' cried Ron softly.) Feredir turned around to meet their gazes. 

"We will do as follows," he told them, inclining his head slightly. "We will meet up with Their Majesties, and then we will break up into groups. Prince Tegalad can show the young ones around and the adults can stick with me and Princess Faelwen- _yes_, Marina, you too…"

The brown-haired elven maiden grinned and put a hand on the doors. They opened without as little as a squeak to reveal a chamber with wide, open windows and an enormous table that could sit about fifty people. At the head of the table sat a mature-looking couple, and sitting at their right side… _Kristy's mother?_

The young redhead stared at the woman with curiosity. Well, her mother was standing two steps in front of her, so this could only be… her aunt!? Bloody hell, they looked so much like each other they actually rivalled the Weasley twins.

There was a stunned, short silence in which the two parties took each other in. The twin sisters regarded each other tentatively before Faelwen (aka Katyn) broke into a smile and called out her sister's name in a very _un_royal manner.

What happened next was like a whirlwind for Kristy. It all happened so fast… suddenly she was surrounded by cries and hugs, laughter and a couple of greetings. Her aunt had greeted her and her friends, her grandmother, who looked so young due to being an elf, had also come forward and stroked her cheek… then her grandfather, a wizard in every right, had come forward and given her and Orion a tight hug. Orion had looked about to protest, but in the end the small wizard held his tongue.

She was left in a daze, Luke laughed merrily at her, and was only broken when her grandfather came to her side again and regarded her with a critical eye.

"What a beautiful young lady you are," he said seriously, grey eyes twinkling merrily. He had a deep comforting voice, but his compliment still gave her a slight blush. She knew she wasn't bad looking, but beautiful? Of course… being the daughter of Sirius Black and a half-elf she was bound to have good looks, but she never really thought about what she looked like. "You're wearing the necklace I sent you," he said suddenly, happiness clear in his tone.

Kristy smiled, glad for the change of topic. "I never take it off. It's really very beautiful, Grandpa… thank you so much!"

Her grandfather smiled and Kristy had a bubbling feeling on her chest. She had a grandfather! An actual, merry, grandchild-spoiling grandfather!

He bent down and beckoned her over for show. She laughed and complied. "You can wear it as a bracelet, too, you know?" he whispered conspirationally. "That way, if you want to wear a different necklace, you can still wear this one. You have to transfigure it, but don't let anyone here know I said that!"

He laughed and she couldn't help joining in. His laughter was contagious!

"So," he said powerfully as he straightened up. "Finally, we are all here. Sirius! Nice to see you," he added.

Sirius perked up. "Hey! Somebody likes me! _King _Castien likes me!"

Castien laughed jovially. "Well, Sirius, you will have to live with it," he teased.

"The guests, Castien, don't forget our guests," reminded Kristy's grandmother with a small smile.

Castien briefly surveyed the party of witches and wizards and grinned at them. The Potters and Remus were looking a little dazed but still had smiles on their faces. Kristy's mother and aunt were still caught in a hug, and the kids were standing a little sideways.

"Archery!" he said suddenly. "Tegalad, take them kids to the fields and get a teacher. Would you like some archery lessons?"

"Yes!" cried Ron, before he could stop himself.

Kristy's grandmother chuckled and Ron's ears turned red. Neddia rolled her eyes and Luke glared at her.

"Of course I'll take them," the young elf said. "You guys follow me… You can stay behind if you like, Ned."

Thankfully, the adults didn't hear him, because if they had a riot would have broken out.

"Come on," he added, giving the group of children a grin. "I'll give you a tour of the citadel first, then we can have the lessons and we'll be back in time to prepare for dinner."

When everyone seemed to agree to the terms, even Neddia though reproachfully, Ginny shyly piped up, "Can we first take off the dress robes, though? Change into something more comfortable?"

The question was met with general amusement and an agreement. Luke told them he would be waiting in the antechamber before an elf took them away to show them their chambers, leaving the adults to themselves with Paige and Ethan. They were probably going to get a personalized tour of the palace.

On the way to the upper levels, Ginny got closer to Kristy. "Slightly intimidating place, isn't it?" she whispered.

Kristy nodded as she looked around the corridors. "A bit dangerous, too… like my uncle Feredir."

"I know!" piped Orion, eavesdropping on them. "He might be nice looking, but I don't like him very much. What do you think of Luke and Neddia?"

"Luke's ok," commented Ron. Kristy sent him a look. Why was everyone eavesdropping!? "Neddia, though… I dunno, she's a bit… er?"

"Self-centred?" offered Kristy.

"A harpy?" suggested Orion.

Harry shrugged. "She's your cousin. Your call."

"I was going to say Slytherin," said Ron with a grin. "But those work, too."

The elf leading them gladly didn't look back. He probably agreed with them anyway. 

"This is the ladies' chamber," he announced after climbing another staircase and turning to the right. "The boys will sleep in front. I will see you at dinner, I hope." He offered them a dashing smile and turned around to leave and give them some privacy.

Orion raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so we are the boys, but _they _are the _laaadieees_!" he called after the elf. The elf laughed but didn't turn around. Orion fumed.

"Some respect for their Duke," he sniffed. Kristy laughed at him.

A good while later, and in considerably more comfortable clothes, the five went down the stairs again and met Luke in the antechamber. Neddia was also there, but the look on her face said that she couldn't wait to be away from them.

"_Neugh,_" mumbled Kristy.

"Neugh is the right word," agreed Ginny, tugging on her sleeve.

Luke took them all out and told them to ignore Neddia the entire tour. Neddia had shot him a venomous glare, but other than that no other altercations happened. The young elf prince first showed them around the gardens, with their fountains and many species of trees and flowers. Further in was a small stream, bridges, and then the forest. Even though the sun didn't pass through very well, paper lamps here and there lightened up the paths.

He showed them the forgeries, where smiths made perfect ornamental swords, as well as weapons, helmets, arrow tips, shields, jewellery… Luke explained to them that the elves used very rare silver they traded with the dwarves, called Mithril. It was very light, very strong, very beautiful, and very expensive. He then pointed out to Kristy that the chain of her necklace was actually Mithril.

The others had gaped at her and, if possible, Kristy would have gaped at herself, too.

During their tour, they had seen many new elves. None had stopped to chat, but then again, they were total strangers no different to people walking on the streets. Finally getting a taste of everything, even Lembas bread and several other elven foods they'd had for lunch, Luke took them to an enormous clearing in the middle of the forest. It was well past midday now, so when the sun hit their eyes after so much shadow they were forced to wince.

When their eyes adjusted to the new light, they noticed several red and white targets strewn across the clearing. A few young elves, very few elflings, were practising their aim, as well. There were racks all around, holding different sized bows and their matching arrows. Luke waved at an adult elf and the elf gave a single nod, signalling a specific rack.

"I guess I'll have to be your teacher today," he grinned. He beckoned them to follow him and the five friends did, but Neddia opted to hang back in defiance for a moment before grudgingly following them, as well. They had barely gotten started on trying out some of the bows to find a right match when two elflings sauntered over with their bows slung across their backs. They were dressed in rather impressive robes, and if the way they wore their blond and raven hair (respectively) was any indication, they were also nobles.

Luke was so immersed in finding the right bow for eager Ron that he didn't notice their approach, but Neddia and the others did.

"Chandler?" called the elven princess. "No one said you'd be here!"

The blond elfling, Chandler apparently, grinned at her and shrugged. He looked to be around fourteen and was quite handsome, but nothing compared to the younger raven-haired elfling.

"We just got here, dearie," Chandler replied, catching up to them and finally making Luke look up. The prince scowled.

"Why, if it's not the stuffed poodle," he grimaced as a greeting. Chandler glared and the raven-haired elf raised an eyebrow. "And lookie here, he's brought along his owner. Come back from the dog show, I expect?"

Harry exchanged a glance with Ron, and then with Kristy. Orion bit his arm to muffle his laughter and Ginny scratched the back of her neck to hide a grin. Neddia rounded on her brother and made to attack him, but the raven-haired elfling intervened before any violence could be carried out.

"Don't worry, Neddia," he drawled, looking at Luke disdainfully through his clear grey eyes. "Brothers do tend to get a bit overprotective of their sisters when their betrothed is near. I believe we haven't met?" he added, glancing at the group of witches and wizards.

Harry tried to make sense of what the older boy had just said. Betrothed? To whom? Neddia to him? Chandler? What? Was that kid looking at him? Oh, he was… an answer then… "Er…" _Score, Harry…_

Kristy jumped in to save his reputation. "No we haven't met. We are new here… long forgotten family members, if you will," she added with a nervous grin. "I'm Kristen-"

"_Duchess Aleani_, to you," intervened Luke. He was giving the raven-haired elfling a _very _evil look, bow forgotten. "She's my cousin. And that one there is my other cousin, Duke Daeron. These are their friends, Ron and Ginny Weasley, and Harry Potter."

Harry suppressed a groan as the newcomers exchanged a look. "Wizards?" asked Chandler. "Not meaning to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"Holidays?" suggested Ron. Even he had noticed how the nobles were treating them. "The King and Queen invited us. What are _you_ doing here? And who are you?" he threw in for good measure.

Chandler shrugged, though his air of nonchalance was gone due to Ron's defiance. "Holidays as well. That and Emperor Hakan's death. Our fathers are here to discuss it with Their Majesties and we tagged along."

The raven-haired elfling, he looked to be around thirteen, gave a step forward. "I'm Prince Destane, from the Black Forest. This is Chandler, son of my father's right-hand man, and Princess Neddia's betrothed."

"Much to my chagrin," added Luke.

Chandler and Luke then engaged in another fierce staring competition.

Destane ignored them. "So… Harry Potter?"

Harry looked up at the older boy. "Yes," he answered simply. Prince or not, he was beginning to dislike the ridiculously handsome elf. Ron, Ginny and Orion didn't seem to be very fond of him either. Kristy was giving the elf a calculating look.

The prince nodded slowly, as if deeming the wizard's response acceptable while sizing him up. "And _Duchess _Aleani? I thought Neddia was the only possible female heir to the throne. Are your parents looking for a betrothal?" he asked hopefully.

The redhead grimaced slightly. What exactly was he suggesting? "As if I'd let them," she replied at last. Destane seemed amused. Kristy stared at him suspiciously… he wasn't actually suggesting that he… her… what?

Neddia broke the weird tension in the air. "Chandler, Destane… why don't we go practise some archery somewhere else?" she gave Luke a pleading look that her brother somewhat returned.

Destane gave Kristy a fleeting look. "I'll take you up with that offer, Neddia. I will be seeing you at dinner, _Duchess_."

Kristy waited until the trio had their backs to them and then shuddered. If someone knew how to give looks that made young witches uncomfortable, that was Prince Destane of the Black Forest, she decided. And she just met him.

Ginny looked at her and Kristy shuddered again. "That was…"

"Uncomfortable?" said Harry.

"I want to punch in that poodle's face," muttered Luke, taking aim with a bow at Chandler's left shoulder blade. "Do you think I could start an International conflict if I killed the son of a king's advisor?"

Ginny gave him a scandalized look. "What?"

Orion's jaw dropped. "You can actually cause an International conflict? Wicked!"

Luke lowered the bow. "Sadly. Because that's the only thing stopping me from maiming him for life."

Kristy grabbed a random bow from the rack and imitated Luke's stance. She knocked an arrow and did her best aiming at the raven head walking in the distance. "If I stick an arrow through Destane's perfect face, could I start an International conflict, too?"

The group laughed but Luke made her lower her bow, lest she lost her grip on the arrow and actually stuck an arrow through Destane's perfect face, and _then_ cause an International conflict. "That bow suits you well, Kristy, why don't you keep it?"

The five friends gave him confused stares. How could he act so natural after what had just happened? Luke offered a mischievous grin.

"What? If we're going to be shooting arrows through the skulls of nobles from the Black Forest, I had better teach you how to do it, hadn't I?" 


	20. Missing Pieces

Chapter 19 – Missing Pieces

**A/N: Yipee! Another one done!**

–**§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–**

**Chapter 19 – ****Missing Pieces**

Small as it was, Tom had adopted Diego's library. Books on healing were using up most of the space in the dark, wooden bookcases, unlike his old library containing every subject imaginable; but Tom didn't mind much, considering his thirst for knowledge and how useful healing actually was. He had been trying to concentrate on reading one of said books but thoughts of his heir kept getting in the way. Why, only a week ago, he and the magical world had thought the boy was dead, thanks to Andor who had spoken to Emperor Hakan right away. Typical of Andor to do things without notifying people, say, the boy's godfather or the boy's _actual father_. He couldn't blame the old wizard, though, since the magical world believed the Dark Lord was dead. However, he rather preferred it if the situation stayed like that for a while.

He rubbed his eyes before fully giving up on reading. The clock on the wall already read 1 a.m. and he hadn't slept well since he had woken up from the magical coma. He knew it definitely had something to do with waking up to find out that Jack had died during an attack to Downtown. Then, this afternoon Diego had brought Jack home after the boy had been visiting his mother's death-place, and oh surprise, coincidence and destiny, Jack had brought back news of Harry Potter being in Ebur. Harry Potter! In _Ebur_!

A rattling of cutlery pulled Tom out of his musings. He was fully awake in an instant, wand in hand, straining his ears to listen to any other noises. The opening and closing of wooden doors alerted him to the fact that the sounds were coming from the kitchen, and whoever was causing them was making very little effort to muffle them. Closing his book, he stood up from the armchair and went to check on the source of the noise.

The hallway was dark, and so was the second landing, but there was light coming from the kitchen as expected. Tom frowned. Who on Earth could be so dense, making such a racket while breaking in? More than concerned, he was annoyed. Was society so silly now that they couldn't even pose a challenge?

He was itching to try some curses again, even if they weren't as powerful as they had been before. Yet. Tightening his grip on his wand, he ducked into the kitchen and froze in mid-step at what he saw.

"Brat?"

The black-haired boy turned around and sapphire blue met startled green. "Hey, Father," he said casually. "It's one in the morning, what are you doing here?"

Tom kept his left hand on his wand and narrowed his eyes suspiciously at his heir. "I should be asking you the same question," he replied.

Jack shrugged. He was standing before the stove, poking at something yellow on a pan with a wooden ladle. There was a crackling noise coming from the flat piece of iron over the fire. "Remember I told you I'd had dinner by myself earlier today?" he said as an answer. "Well, I lied. I didn't have any dinner, and I couldn't sleep because I got hungry, so I'm making myself an omelette. Want some?"

Tom's grip on his wand slackened as he raised a startled eyebrow. "_What _in_ Merlin…? _An _omelette?_"

The boy had the nerve to smirk. "Yes, Father, I believe I said _omelette_. It's French. A vampire friend taught me how to cook it when I was nine."

The Dark Lord blinked furiously. _Jack, vampires, omelettes, cooking_… it was too much to take in at the moment. Only his heir could place the words _vampire _and _omelette_ in the same sentence. Was it possible that he had fallen asleep in the armchair back in the library? Was this someone's sick idea of a dream? He considered pinching his arm to prove his theory but stopped himself in time. Dark Lords did not do that for Merlin's sake!

"So do you want some or not?"

"No," he replied rather brusquely, startled out of his musings once again. It seemed to him that the magical coma hadn't messed with his magic only, but with his head and his personality as well, and he wasn't liking it.

Jack shrugged again and went back to his cooking. "Your loss. I've gotten rather good at this, if I do say so myself," he commented.

Tom shook his head and sighed inaudibly. He watched the boy throw ham, cheese, tomato and other ingredients to the yellow crust until he decided his late dinner was ready. He put out the fire, moved the finished omelette to a plate and levitated the pan and ladle to the sink, all in three simple movements of his hands. When had the boy become so good at telekinesis?

Once Jack grabbed a fork and a knife, and sat down at the kitchen table, Tom finally convinced himself that he wasn't dreaming. Nor hallucinating, because he had also considered that possibility. Looking at the boy, he grudgingly had to admit he had gotten lucky.

Up until now, he had avoided the subject of his soul mate's death and Jack's abduction, but he could not live with the doubt any longer. He would have to ask Jack about what had happened that night, and what he had been through the three years that followed. He grimaced as his son yawned. But not just yet… the boy was at peace for the time being; let him enjoy it while it lasted. He had a feeling that things were about to take a turn for the worse; with Durza at large, Dumbledore was now the least of his concerns. It was only a matter of time before the Shade put two and two together and realized that two Riddles were still alive. They would be hunted down then, prosecuted until the Shade was certain both Lord and Heir were dead.

Pushing such morbid thoughts out of his mind, the Dark Lord drew himself to his full height and cleared his throat. Jack looked up from his empty plate and gave him a sleepy smile. Tom frowned.

"You better sleep," he said, leaving no room for arguments. "I need to talk to you tomorrow about… things."

Jack gave him a wide-eyed stare. The boy knew perfectly well what _'things'_ meant. His father was going to question him on his abduction. He knew it was bound to happen… he would just have liked to postpone it a little longer, say, five more years? Funnily enough, he didn't think he would be ready to speak of the 'incident' in five years from now, anyway. Maybe it was best to get it over with.

The Dark Lord shot a glance at Jack's empty plate and frowned slightly. "Remember to leave that in the sink before going upstairs."

"'K… night, Father."

Tom hesitated. "Good night."

--

Good night? Indeed.

Jack spent the next hours of darkness tossing and turning in his bed. At odd intervals, he managed to fall asleep, but the sound of whips always woke him up. And then, if it wasn't the whips, it was the chains, and if it wasn't the bloody chains, then it was a bloodcurdling scream, and _then _if it wasn't the scream, it was a black-cloaked _being_ with searing amber eyes, reaching out for him chanting something in a weird tongue, and then everything would begin to burn and, and… well, you get the idea.

All in all, it was _not _a pleasant night for the Dark Heir.

--

Much less a pleasant morning. Gods! Why did Voldemort have to be such an early riser? And what in Hades' underworldly name was his godfather doing in his room at this time of day, staring at him like he'd seen a ghost?

Jack returned his godfather's look with confusion. "What? Do I have something on my face? Because I just took a shower and-ye _Gods_. I'm not wearing a shirt, am I?" he asked with a wince.

Diego opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. Jack looked down and confirmed it. No shirt, but skin and… scars; the ugly, long scars criss-crossing his back and occasionally reaching to his front. "I suppose I have some explaining to do," he offered weakly. Diego nodded dumbly.

"Right after…" he croaked. "Emperor Hakan's dead," he blurted. "Thought you should know, considering it's because of him that people believe you're dead. Er… your father, he… wants to talk to you."

Jack rolled his eyes at his godfather before blinking rapidly in shock. The Emperor was dead? And then of course there was the fact that Tom wanted to talk to him… hopefully he could save his father from the shock of looking at his scars without warning. Diego's eyes were still travelling up and down his body in horror, and he definitely didn't want to see that look on the Dark Lord's face.

"Can I have breakfast first?"

"I don't think anyone will be able to eat anything. You have to explain."

The Dark Heir grumbled. "Fine, then. Call my father, will you?"

Diego gave him a last pained look and turned away. Jack sighed. How was he going to say this? It was Christmas Eve! Not that he celebrated the occasion, but it was still a season to lay back and relax. He reached out for a button-down shirt and threw it on his back but left it unbuttoned; maybe like this he could soften the blow.

The two adults took a disturbingly short time to return, not giving Jack the time to even consider escaping his impending fate by jumping through the window. Tom was looking suspiciously at Diego, but the brown-haired man averted his eyes. Jack doubted his godfather had had the guts to tell the Dark Lord about his son's scars, but he couldn't be blamed. The Dark Lord was incredibly scary when he was angry.

Jack bit the inside of his cheek before meeting his father's eyes. "Should I say some sort of introduction?" he asked uncertainly.

Tom lifted an eyebrow.

"Guess not, then," he said softly. "Just don't freak out."

Tom looked startled at the prospect of him _freaking out_ over anything. He watched the boy pull-off his shirt with increasing suspicion and very nearly had a stroke when Jack turned around. The kid looked back over his shoulder with –by Hades- amusement.

"Whoa," Jack joked. "I thought I'd never see the day a Dark Lord would blanch over anything."

Diego, having already gotten over the initial shock, had to agree, but Tom didn't listen. There was a whirlwind of emotions in his head and all he could come up with was, _how? How-how, just _how _could this have happened to his own child? When had the world taken that sickening turn?_

And even worse was what he managed to actually say.

"I'm listening."

Jack sighed and sat down at the foot of his bed. "You might want to sit down. It's quite a long story."

Tom's eyes hardened and he gave a single nod. Diego, though, felt like he was intruding and excused himself, mumbling something about feeding his Oris. Tom would have scoffed at him if he'd had the capacity to do so, but so, father and son were left alone again. The door closed behind Diego with a 'click' and Tom conjured an armchair to listen to the oh-so-feared story.

Jack cleared his throat, meeting his father's eyes, before plunging in. "When we got that letter you sent us in early December, where you said you wouldn't be coming home for a while I was sort of disappointed, but Mom got scared. I didn't understand why, back then, but thinking about it now I guess she thought something had happened to you. I don't remember very well what happened afterwards, but in general she got very nervous… the house-elves asked her several times if she was sick, but she always said she was fine. She cried, Father. At night." –Tom winced at this– "And then, the day before Christmas Eve, we went out to Downtown. I remember she was very anxious, and she mentioned something about taking refuge in the Court of Miracles because someone was on to us and they wanted… _me…_ Then this man came out of nowhere and he told her to hand me over, but she wouldn't, and I don't know what she did to him but he ended up on the ground, and that's when we ran.

"I kept asking her about the man, and why we were running, but she told me to keep moving and that she'd tell me once we were safe. People then started popping out of alleys, and I think they were shooting, but I was too scared to notice for sure. We lost them for a while, and we thought we were safe because we reached Savannah Alley and there was supposed to be an entrance to the Court through there, but there wasn't," he made a pause to take a breath. Gods, this was difficult. It was the first time he told the story to anyone, and it was slowly killing him to do so, but his father had to know. He _needed _to know. "She pushed me into a nook and told me to stay hidden, no matter what. She told me…" he frowned, trying to remember his mother's exact words, "… she told me to keep an eye on you, because you were the kind of arse who would get himself killed over nothing, but that she loved you anyway and that it would stay forever that way."

Tom sat back in the armchair and tried not to sink in it. That sounded exactly like his Sam… sweet and scolding at the same time. He had yet to meet another person who was able to pull that off, or rather, a person able to lower his guard and gain his trust the way she had. He had a momentary lapse of depression before it was cruelly replaced by anger. She was the only one he had ever truly, _deeply_ cared for –he was even admitting it!– and now she was gone.

Jack, on his part, wasn't able to look at his father anymore. Emotions were not a thing that came easily to the dark wizard, and he couldn't bear to look upon his rock shattering under the weight of the loss of his consort. His father was everything he had now… if he couldn't cling to him… well…

'… _whatever happens, remember I always loved you. You have to stand strong now, and never forget who you truly are… I love you, son… like I never loved anyone in my life, I love you, Jack…'_

_Samantha Ravine gave her only child one last kiss on his forehead and caressed his face for the last time._

'_Mom?' the seven-year-old had questioned, alarm evident in his deep blue orbs as his mother's hand left his face. 'Mom!?'_

_The blonde woman, warm grey eyes shining, quickly stood up and turned her back to her son, determined to fight to the death if that was what it took to protect him. Before leaving her beloved son's eyesight, however, she turned around and gave him the most beautiful smile he would ever receive from anyone._

_That image would stay seared into his memory until the day he died. Her smile, though sad, held the right amount of love, compassion, mischief and everything that made up who Sam Ravine truly was._

'_Mom! Mom! Mommy! Mother! Mom!'_

_He knew what was going to happen. _She_ knew._

'_Mom!' he called one last time, before she turned the corner, away from him forever. 'I love you…' he whispered._

Present-time Jack closed his eyes tightly in an effort to keep his own desperate voice out of his head. He clutched his shirt in his hands as he tried to get rid of the memory… he knew it would haunt him until the day he died, and in a way, he was glad for it. He wouldn't want to be rid of the memory of his mother's last moments, nor of her parting words to him. It was all he had left.

"So," said Tom eventually. He cleared his throat. "What happened then?" he asked neutrally.

Jack looked up at the Dark Lord and found his face set in a stoic mask. Trust Lord Voldemort to cover up any emotion he might be feeling. He sighed. "Then she fought. I didn't see anything but just listening was enough; there were gunshots, curses, catcalls, some jeers… then one last shot, louder than the others, and all was silent for a moment. And then they laughed, but one yelled at them to shut up and find me, so they did. The leader dragged me out of my nook and he would have killed me if not for a man in Wizengamot robes, who told them they could make some profit out of me yet."

Despite the nature of his son's story, Tom couldn't help but feel confused. What was a member of the Eburian Wizengamot doing at the site of Sam's death?

"Anyway," continued Jack with a heavy sigh, looking closely at the Dark Lord's face. He had no desire to upset his father, and the confession he was about to make could put the man's life in danger. Not because of the nature of the information, but because the Dark Lord would probably feel the need to leave his hiding place before he was strong enough to do so.

"I saw Mom's body lying on the snow, but then the guy hit me on the back of my head and I went down. When I woke up, I was in this kind of cellar with more people… mostly kids, but a few adults, too. That's where I met Ginger, if that was even her name; she was a Fire Magi and she sort of adopted me. She told me slave traders had captured us, and that we were in the cellar while they worked out our marks. I had no idea what she meant, but…"

Jack's voice trailed off into nothing. When the man's eyes had turned red at the mention of slave traders, he'd sensed danger.

"Wait! Wait! Wait!" he cried. "Let me tell you the whole story before you run off to kill some Muggles."

His father's face darkened as response, but he remained quiet.

Jack stared into space for a moment and then turned slightly so his father would have a clear view of his right shoulder blade. On the top, was branded a small mockingbird in flight. "That's why I was called Gorrión on the streets," he explained.

Tom frowned. "You are Gorrión?"

Jack tilted his head at him. "Yeah. You heard of me?"

"Heard of you? You were practically worshipped throughout the underworld! An errand boy who evaded capture and was unusually loyal to his clients?"

"Only for as long as the errand lasted," cut Jack. "I wasn't about to pledge my allegiance to any group. I just wanted to pay my debt to get rid of the block on my magic, and be free to look for you in peace."

"Care to explain from the beginning?"

"You mean you don't know this?"

"_I was busy tearing the continent apart, looking for you!"_

"Ok! Ok! _Sheesh!_" complained Jack, throwing his arms up. "These marks," he said, referring to the mockingbird on his shoulder, "have something to do with your inner self, and when they are burned into your skin with _White_ Fire they block your ability to do magic. The only way to be rid of the block is to pay your 'worth' in Galleons. When I was caught, I was first sold by the price of 150 Galleons. By the second time I tried to escape the labour camp my price had tripled."

The boy glared rather darkly into space. "My _master _–he spat as a foul word– wasn't very happy about my escape attempts, so he punished me. That's why my back looks like this. He was furious because I was making him lose a lot of money. He killed Ginger because she supposedly wasn't fit for work anymore, he killed my friend Vincent; he sold my other friend, Sarah. I had no one left, and all I could think of was that I wanted revenge. So I tried to escape a third time, I had nothing left to lose, but I got help this time and I got away."

Jack risked a glance at his father. The man was, for lack of a better word, livid. But that was to be expected; besides, if he knew his father, the anger would fade quickly because the man favoured reason over emotion. To speed up the change, Jack kept talking.

"I had to pay the 450 I was worth to get my magic back. I began in Dras-Leona, where I met a vampire in a mine. His name was Damien and he's the one who taught me how to cook the omelette; he became like a brother to me. I was his protégée, even when he was a slave. When his master sent him to Helgrind, I knew I wouldn't see him again, as much as I wanted to go after him, so I moved to Teirm to run errands. It's incredible how many people need to send packages, but anywho, I collected the 450 Galleons in a little over a year and, oh Lord of Irony! The day after I sent the last payment, this enormous man from Hogwarts finds me and takes me to the castle. Joy, right?"

Tom sat back in his armchair and studied the boy with a critical eye. "Quite the story you have there," he commented offhandedly. The boy-no… _his son_ shrugged. He was still trying to convince himself that it was not the time to look for Jack's _ex-master_ –he thought scathingly. He would leave it to his son to exact revenge when he pleased.

Jack cleared his throat and finally threw the shirt on his back. Tom frowned. When exactly had he begun caring? He had been horrified when he realized he cared the day Andor brought him the news of Sam's death and Jack's disappearance, but when had it started?

He had to confess that when Jack had been a baby, the boy had been more of a nuisance, eating and sleeping… occasionally laughing. Thank Merlin the child had hardly ever cried and never threw a tantrum. Still, he was the only thing in Sam's agenda; meaning Tom was often a bit ticked off because he was being ignored. His tolerance of the brat had been based on the strategy of having a powerful Heir of his own blood, an ace up his sleeve, so to speak. When Jack grew into a toddler, though, tolerance became amusement; the boy was now like a source of entertainment for his parents, trying to walk and talk and failing… more like a pet, in his opinion. Had Sam heard of his 'opinion', he was sure she would have skinned him alive. At the time, there were two things that softened the Dark Lord towards his son: Jack no longer occupied all of Sam's time, and above all, he had inherited Tom's gift for speaking Parseltongue.

Then Jack became a child, and Tom was infinitely pleased at the discovery that the child was brilliant. He had an incredible knack for remembering information, and what was more, he knew how to use it; also, magic couldn't have come more naturally to him. And his thirst for knowledge? Priceless. It had all been worth the sacrifices. Jack became perfect Heir material; but still, something had not felt right about that mindset. He had seen Jack grow, he had been a part of it… with time, Jack had truly become _his._

And now, seeing that the boy sitting in front of him was no longer the innocent, cheerful child he used to be gave him a horrible chill. It haunted him, knowing that this child was the last bit of Sam left: her son, her blood. _Their _son.

"So now you know," said Jack suddenly. He scratched the back of his head and did his best to swallow the bitter taste of his past. He grinned tentatively. "And now I've lost my appetite. But what about you? What happened down your end those three years? Were you really looking for me?"

Tom clenched his jaw. "From day one," he admitted reluctantly.

Jack was touched. _'He cares! He really cares!' _he thought cheerfully.

The Dark Lord resisted the childish urge to roll his eyes at the happy look on his heir's face. Really, it wasn't _that _strange, was it?

… _was it?_

The boy was giving him an expectant look and Voldemort cursed himself. He was not supposed to care! He should not have spent so much time and resources looking for the boy when the Dark Side had been so close to winning the war, but he had. While looking for Jack day and night, he had forgotten all about raids, and the Order, and Dumbledore and even the Potter brat. The Death Eaters had gotten suspicious about his apparent lack of interest in the war, and he had no doubt that some had wanted to rebel. Thankfully, their fear of him was stronger than their desires, and they had held back.

Bellatrix and Lucius had sort of filled in for him, but he wasn't fooled by their so-called servitude. Both would do anything for power and it did not escape him how much they wanted to be second in command, how much they wished he would name one of them his successor in case something happened to him. Of course he had not done anything of the sort… that was why he had Jack.

Bella was impulsive and violent, and Lucius was lacking in, for lack of a better term, presence skills, here meaning his peers were never convinced by what he said but grudgingly followed his orders. To top it off, they were _crap_ at teamwork… their competitive natures had resulted in several mistakes that included loss of Death Eater lives, lost battles, and increase in desertion and betrayal, and it had cost them their winning position in the war. Oh, he had punished them. In a way, it had also been his own fault so perhaps he shouldn't have been so harsh (because, let's face it, the Cruciatus curse is no picnic), but he was frustrated by the lack of clues on his son's location and he needed to blow off some steam.

Then Durza had come into the picture, around the time Tom thought he had a good idea of where Jack was being held. He had heard rumours, in a way confirmed by Snape, that Dumbledore had a young boy in his possession. He just _knew _that the boy was his son, and he was probably at Hogwarts: the one place he had never dared to attack. The damned old fool knew him too well; he knew what it would look like if the Dark Lord risked a raid on Hogwarts just to get _one_ boy out.

Durza had 'saved' him from making that decision, though it turned out the Shade had kept looking for the Keys, even 16 years after the supposed end of the Keystone Conspiracy. The Shade had admitted to killing the Keepers of the Red and Orange Keys, and to knowing that Ilau Taue kept the Yellow one and that Reuben Bloor was Keeper for the Blue Key. He said he ignored the identities of the Green and Indigo Key Keepers, but had known of Tom's identity for a while. The amount of information the Shade knew had made the Dark Lord's blood run cold… so much time spent fighting to bring the Conspiracy under control, and now this…

The Violet Key was a very attractive magical object. So attractive, in fact, that some would dare to fight the Dark Lord for it. Durza didn't have to fear that option, though, because Shades were magically superior to wizards. Tom had known this, and swallowing his pride he had taken an enormous risk, for he had made a decoy of the Violet Key, an exact replica, fake, powerless… and he had given the real one to his son as a gift for his seventh birthday.

Slowly, he told Jack everything that had just gone through his head, except the issue concerning the Keys. He had hoped _that_ particular conflict wouldn't be passed down to the next generation. Besides, Jack still believed the violet gem that hung from his neck was a Horcrux.

"Father?"

Tom glared lightly, so rudely shaken from his thoughts.

Jack ignored the glare spectacularly and took a moment to continue. Should he bring up his knowledge of Keystones? Or was it too much already? After all, his father had given him the Violet Key under the guise of a Horcrux, so he probably expected him to know nothing. Wouldn't that be a bomb?

As usual, his Ravenclaw side overpowered his Slytherin one, and throwing caution to the wind he gave in to curiosity.

"Why did you give me the Violet Key?"

There was no better way of describing Tom's reaction to the question than comparing it with a car coming to a screeching halt. The question had dazed him right after the shock and now he was, yes, speechless.

Jack blinked innocently at Tom. Tom felt like strangling Jack.

There was a short shocked silence before Tom asked the obvious.

"How did you find out?"

Jack shrugged. "Andor. He told me once Durza figured out I was the Keeper, which funnily enough brings us back to why?"

Tom groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. Figures… Andor never knew how to keep his mouth shut. "Would it be too far-fetched if I suspect you know something about the Keystone Conspiracy?" he whispered sarcastically, more to himself than to Jack.

Jack winced. "About _that_…"

His father's eyes widened and his full attention was back on the boy before him in less than a second. "You still don't know how to stay out of business that doesn't concern you," he snarled.

Now Jack was angry. "It concerned me from the moment you gave me the Violet Key!"

"There is a reason why I said nothing about it," argued Tom, digging his fingers into the velvety armchair. "You are meddling with forces that are beyond your understanding."

"Don't underestimate me, Father," growled Jack, having inherited his father's temper. "If there's someone's trust I need is yours!"

There. He'd said it.

Tom looked taken aback and then he narrowed his eyes. "Do not try to manipulate me, brat," he warned in a dangerously low voice.

Unfortunately for him, Jack was beyond heeding the alarm bells ringing like mad in his head. "Oh, so you made a mistake in giving the Key to me and now you don't want to face it."

"It was not a mistake," snapped the Dark Lord. "Had I not given the Key to you, I would be dead and Durza would have it in his hands. Merlin knows where a scenario like that could have led us…. Giving the Key to you was the only sane thing to do! Durza was already after me when I gave you that Key-"

"What's the whole issue!?" cried Jack with a hint of desperation. "So you needed a successor… It's been driving me crazy for the last months, and all I've found is this little recollection of data that I can't understand because I couldn't focus because I wanted to find _you_!"

"And you already have."

"So explain!" cried Jack, throwing his arms in the air. "Durza has already come after me, I'm supposed to be dead, and I don't know why." An image suddenly came to the front of the boy's mind. "And while you're at it, can you please tell me _why_ your name figures among Ingoldstadt's records?"

"_You found that too!?"_

"I'm a very thorough researcher, Father," replied Jack matter-of-factly, crossing his arms over his chest. "I suppose that's from my Ravenclaw side."

Tom clenched his jaw and tried not to curse the boy into next year. "And that tongue comes from Slytherin but the boldness from Gryffindor. Who have you been hanging out with?"

Jack fell on his bed and sighed deeply. Of all times, why did his father have to choose this morning to be, well, _a father_? "I'm just outspoken," he offered feebly.

"Well don't be," chastised Tom, anger slowly turning into apprehension. How in the world could the boy know so much? Now he was between a rock and a hard place, because if he didn't explain the magnitude of the problem to Jack then the brat was bound to do something stupid while looking for the answers himself.

The Dark Lord steeled himself for what was about to come and doused Jack in cold water to get his attention. The boy spluttered with indignation and pinned an icy glare on his father. Despite the situation, Tom smirked.

"Now, are you gong to listen or are you going to laze about?"

Jack grumbled something indecipherable and used his own Obsidian wand to dry his clothes and hair, but kept his eyes on his father, ready to pay rapt attention.

Tom cleared his throat. "First off, I began my education in Hogwarts and also graduated from it. However, Andor found me when I was fourteen and offered me an education in Ingoldstadt in exchange for my help in a little project of the school's… which turned out not being so little. He told me the story of the Keystones, the sources of power, and I was immediately interested. It turned out there were rumours about the location of the Red Keystone… not the Key, but the actual Keystone that had been lost for millennia.

"Predictably, I agreed, and with the help of a Time Turner I could fit the Ingoldstadt schedule into the Hogwarts one, hence I met your godfather and the others in the generation… most of which are dead, by the way… the only catch was that I had to stay at Hogwarts and be their eyes in the school while keeping the whole operation secret from Dumbledore because the Red Keystone was most probably disguised as another magical object in Dumbledore's possession."

Jack blinked. "What? Why would Dumbledore have the Red Keystone?"

"Precisely," said Tom, eyes glazing over as he looked through his memories. "It never made sense to me… unless not even Dumbledore knows what he has in his possession. I have a good idea of what said object could be, taking into consideration the whole drama involving the attempted robbery to Gringotts this last summer."

Jack gave his father a look. "But the vault was emptied."

Tom nodded. "It was, and the contents were taken to Hogwarts, I'm sure. There is no safer place… however, back then, I didn't have the slightest as to what the object could be. I even found and opened the Chamber of Secrets, and nothing. Not a single clue… until now."

Jack sat up and pulled his legs to him, crossing them at the ankles and resting his chin on his left knee. "So you think that whatever was in Gringotts, whatever it was someone tried to steal, was actually the Red Keystone disguised as something else?"

Tom smirked as response. "I believe that Dumbledore thinks he's protecting the Philosopher's Stone from me, when he is actually protecting the Red Keystone from someone else. My money is on Durza."

Jack felt his jaw drop. "How did that happen?"

"No idea," replied Tom, taking things too lightly in Jack's opinion. "Basically, the Keystone Conspiracy began when Andor recruited me. Ingoldstadt was only looking for the Keystones because they learned that Durza was looking for them, too, though his motives remain unknown. The only way to protect the Keystones, was finding them before Durza did and finding suitable Key Keepers. Sadly, Durza is no fool and he has connections everywhere; he made Galbatorix believe he was the stronger one and in the blink of an eye Durza had an army of Urgals at his feet. The other governments began to get involved, all of them intent on getting this power Durza had promised them and providing that bloody Shade with all the resources necessary. The governments felt Durza was double-crossing them and so began declaring war on each other, trying to be the one that Durza would reward.

"There were assassinations, disappearances, rebel outbreaks, terrorist attacks, raids… pretty much what Britain went through before I was 'killed'. Ingoldstadt was left with the responsibility of peacemaker until the school began loosing too many students to the war and the school was forced to desert the fighting."

"My History teacher said something about that," commented Jack excitedly. "She did speak to us about a war that happened around the time you were a student! So you were directly involved?"

Voldemort pretended to think. "Let me see… I was chosen as the Keeper of the Violet Key, I was spying on Hogwarts for Ingoldstadt, and I worked for the Eburian government for five years when I was nineteen, but no… I wasn't directly involved," he added sarcastically.

Jack shuffled uncomfortably and sent his father a reproachful look. "So to sum it up… Durza has been looking for the Keystones for the last twenty-five or so years and only Merlin knows why while you and Ingoldstadt tried to stop him, but now he has turned his attention to the Keys that will open them because they're easier to find. That's why he's after us… but he has already found others, hasn't he?"

Voldemort nodded sombrely. "Found them and killed them. He has two Keys in his possession already… Red and Orange if I'm not mistaken."

Jack tilted his head in thought. "But if he already has the Red Key, and if it was indeed him who tried to rob Gringotts because he thinks the Philosopher's Stone is the Red Keystone, then…" he paled and his face fell. "Shouldn't someone tell Dumbledore that Durza is going to try breaking into Hogwarts!?"

Tom raised an eyebrow. "What for?"

"What for?" echoed Jack, barely believing his ears. He searched his father's green eyes for a trace of humour but found none. Voldemort was absolutely serious about leaving Dumbledore in the dark.

"What for, yes," repeated Voldemort. "Dumbledore doesn't need to know he may have a Keystone in his possession or that Durza is targeting him. It's better than having Durza targeting us."

"You mean you're just going to let Durza have a shot at the Red Key?" asked Jack bewildered.

"I did not say that," argued Tom, frowning at his son. "I don't need Dumbledore making the situation any more difficult because he thinks he has to protect to Key both from Durza and me. The Red Keystone is much more attractive than the Philosopher's Stone. Can you imagine having absolute control over anything that is related in even the smallest of ways to fire?"

Jack made a double take. "_What?_"

Tom closed his eyes, realizing he had said a little too much. "You are not going to forget I said that, are you?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "Fire?" he asked weakly.

"It is merely a theory I have," said Tom off-handedly, waving his hand lazily as if he were scaring away a fly. "I developed it while trying to find the Keystones before Durza did. Your mother had a hand in it, too."

"And this theory is?" prompted Jack, suddenly more awake because his mother had been involved.

Tom groaned for the second time that morning and leaned back on his conjured armchair. "While the common definition for Keystones is that they are sources of power, your mother and I went a little deeper and isolated the kind of power that could be drawn from each Keystone. The four elements were a must, and after much research we settled for this: anyone in control of the Red Keystone would have absolute control over Fire anywhere in the world; similarly, the Orange Keystone controls Earth, the Yellow one controls Air and the Blue one controls Water. That left us with Green, Indigo and Violet.

"Considering how Violet is supposed to be the most powerful, we branched out from there and concluded that the Green Keystone can increase or decrease birth rates, death rates, life spans… in a way it controls Life. Indigo would have a control over Light and Dark… it could plunge large sections of the world into complete darkness for months if the controller so wished to. And then the Violet Keystone is a source of magical power. Imagine Durza getting his hands on that one."

Jack shot his father a suspicious glance. "Would he be able to take magic away from us?"

Tom considered the question. "Basically," he answered dryly.

Jack winced, making his father laugh.

"Which is why we keep an eye on the Violet Key," explained Tom. "So long as we can protect the Key from him, he won't be able to do anything. Besides, no one has been able to find a single Keystone in over two thousand years. What makes you think he will find it anytime soon?"

"Um, I don't know," said Jack sarcastically, pretending to think. "How about him being two steps away from finding the Red one?"

Voldemort raised a dark eyebrow at his heir. "Because we are not?"

"Huh?" said Jack intelligently.

"Jack," said the Dark Lord with a slight smirk. "Durza never went to Hogwarts, but I did. The only problem here would be making Dumbledore believe that I'm dead but not quite dead… more like a spirit trying to regain my body." His eyes suddenly glazed over as if a plan were brewing inside his head. "Yes… because if Dumbledore believes he's protecting the Philosopher's Stone then he would suspect that… brilliant."

"What?" asked Jack slowly, looking at his father with suspicion. "What's brilliant? What are you going to do?'

Voldemort laughed and fixed his son with slightly evil look. "I'm going to Hogwarts in June to get myself the _'Philosopher's Stone'_."

–**§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–§–**

**A/N: Ok, so this was a very complicated chapter to write because it involves mayor plot development and whatnot… I'm still not sure if I explained correctly so please send me some feedback on this because it's an important part of the story. However I'm also very happy with it because we get to see some action between Jack and Tom, which I had shown nothing of before. My, do they fight…**


	21. The Philosopher's Stone

**A/N: **You know what I've noticed? I get Writer's Block every 5000 words or so. Seriously. By the time I get to the 10th page of a Word document I begin to get stuck until I can't write anymore, instead I went on to write the chapter that comes after this one. That's right, chronology and I don't work well together. But now this chapter's done and I got down about 4000 words of the next one, so cross your fingers and pray I don't hit another block in the next 1000 words!

**Chapter 20 – ****The Philosopher's Stone**

**--**

For the next few days the atmosphere in Diego's house was charged with tension. Tom had mentioned his plans of breaking into Hogwarts and finding the Red Keystone because it wasn't as if Dumbledore was making it so difficult to find. Diego, Healer that he was, had been scandalized at the idea of the Dark Lord "exposing himself to so much exertion so early in the stages of recovery" which had, predictably, thrown Jack into a fit of hysterics.

Diego, however, was completely serious about the issue and finally got his point across the day before Jack had to go back to school for the Millennium celebration that would take place in Ingoldstadt on New Year's Eve. They were, as usual, lounging in the kitchen discussing Tom's plans. He intended to fool Dumbledore by making him believe he wasn't completely dead, but a spirit in search of his body. That should give the old man a decent scare and announce that he actually planned to come back soon.

If Tom met Durza on the way, though, it would endanger the Dark Lord's life again, and Diego would have none of it. It was a white morning that 30th of December when the brunet finally put his foot down.

"There is no way I'm going to let you do this, Riddle!" cried Diego, grey-blue eyes flashing. "Think about this. You have just been reunited with your son! Are you seriously going to risk leaving him alone again?"

Tom scowled. "I _have _thought about this endlessly, Hawkins, and each time I reach the conclusion that if I don't risk it then Durza will have both the Red Key and the Red Keystone. Believe me, you don't want that."

"But you'd leave your son?" countered Diego, clutching Jack's shoulder. Jack abruptly felt a bit insignificant caught in the middle of the adults' argument. "After all Sam did to protect him, you would leave him?"

Tom narrowed his eyes suddenly and his aura sparked, making him look every bit the Dark Lord he was. "Do _not_ bring her into this, Diego," he hissed dangerously. "_Do not_."

Jack's godfather deflated a little, realizing he had touched a nerve. "I don't want to see you torn apart again, that's all," he offered as an apology and Tom scoffed. Diego was the only one who could speak to him like an equal and not find himself at wandpoint a moment later.

Diego scratched the back of his head. "It's just that… after Tia died... and then Tanner..." he frowned. "You have no idea of how lucky you are."

With that said, Jack's godfather left the kitchen with his hand still on his head. As soon as he was out of hearing range, the boy turned to his father.

"Tanner?" he asked, frowning. The name sounded disturbingly familiar.

Tom checked that Diego was safely away from hearing range and turned back to his heir. "Diego's son. You wouldn't remember him; he was five when you were two. Died in an accident."

Jack's eyes widened. Diego had had a son? So this was why he opposed his father's decision so strongly. Seeing Tom reunited with Jack, when Diego had no hopes for Tanner must have struck a chord. "I had absolutely no idea…"

Tom made a movement similar to a shrug. "Tanner treated you like his little brother. After he died you weren't quite the same again… quieter, I would say. Eventually it passed and you went back to being as insufferable as always."

Jack glared at his father's smirk. He just couldn't get the man to feel anything besides anger, scorn, indifference, arrogance and amusement. He usually expressed all those emotions in a smirk, as well, though the 'how' remained a mystery to the boy.

After that episode things had begun to run a little smoother. Tom included Diego in his scheming and sometimes gave in to the security measures Diego wanted to take into consideration, so by the time Jack had to be ushered back to the White Dragon the two adults were back to their usual selves. In Diego's case, that was candid and playful. In Tom's… well… sarcastic and wry would describe him.

Jack stood, for the second time, on the White Dragon's bow, trying to find his friends. He had lost contact with them during the holidays because of his Manfred-induced coma and because he couldn't risk giving away their location. His father had made him swear he would keep pretending to be an orphan even to his friends and Jack had accepted, but grudgingly; instead, he would tell them he had been staying with his godfather, which wasn't a lie by itself.

Oddly, he couldn't find them even when the ship began to move. Shancus had found him, though, and asked an insane number of questions on what had happened to him. He had been a witness in the duel and been scared out of his wits when Jack had blacked out after Manfred cursed him. Apparently, the bustle that followed had turned into an uproar and Manfred had found himself nearly expelled.

Jack didn't feel sorry at all.

Shancus also told him that Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred had chosen to stay in Ingoldstadt for the holidays waiting for his return.

They had an uneventful trip with the occasional seasickness. More impressive was how the closer they got to the South Pole, the darker it got. Shancus had told him it was all staged, because in winter the south of the planet was actually warm. The thing was, they needed the darkness for the fireworks and seeing the Aurora wouldn't hurt either.

The White Dragon arrived in Arx Crystallus on the afternoon of the 31st of December, and Jack remembered with a pang it was his father's birthday. He then smirked because the next day would be his own birthday. He would be finally turning eleven, come the New Year. His peers wouldn't be able to tease him anymore because he was still ten and the youngest student the school had. He growled at the back of his throat. He couldn't wait to be a second year.

--

Christmas dinner that year included dishes that had hardly ever made an appearance in the royal palace. The king was delighted to see Wizard food again, and his delight increased tenfold when his guests dug in on every course.

This year he was finally surrounded by the people he wanted to be with. Sirius, James and Remus were a constant source of entertainment for everyone, and seeing Feredir being so scandalized by them really made his day. Orion and Luke had their own charm, sitting next to each other and making the other children laugh.

What worried him now was the way Prince Destane and his father were eyeing his granddaughter. Kristen had turned out to be a beautiful girl: a mix of Black and Elven genes topped with intelligence and the status of Duchess. She was undoubtedly a very interesting catch, so he was not surprised at the way the King of the Black Forest was looking at her. If he didn't thread carefully, he would find himself facing another betrothal and he didn't want that for the little redhead.

When the issue of Neddia and Chandler's arranged marriage had come up, he had been completely against it. The elves had not understood why, and they were such an overwhelming majority that he had let it happen. Neddia's resignation had made him insistent on saving Kristen from the same fate, even if it cost him the Kingdom's relationship with the Black Forest. Lily Potter thankfully interrupted his musings.

"So if I understand correctly," she was saying, "here the Queen has more power than the King. But where does that leave you, Castien?"

Castien was glad for the distraction. "I'm like the First Lady," the old wizard joked, making them laugh. "But really, most I do is making sure peace runs smoothly. If there's war, then I take care of the military and Vanessë of diplomacy. Thankfully, the last threat of war happened twenty-five years ago and it was quelled."

"Twenty-five years ago?" said Sirius lifting an eyebrow. "What about Voldemort then?"

Castien let out a grim laugh. "You did not lose thousands of lives, did you?"

An uncomfortable silence descended upon the adults sitting at the table.

"The kind of war I speak of costs millions of lives. The last war of this kind took place at the very beginning of the century, on a par with the Muggles' First World War. We lost 20 million people. Why do you think Lemuria is so under-populated?"

The three Marauders shared glances. Castien simply continued.

"Twenty-five years ago, a similar war began to take shape. Thankfully, within ten years a group of young witches and wizards made it die down, but at the cost of some of their lives."

"Coincidence…" said Sirius suddenly. "That was when we first began seeing disappearances, and a couple of years later we were at war with Voldemort."

"Is it possible…" started Remus, "… that the two events are linked?"

The King of Fatura thought for a moment. "Maybe," he conceded, slowly. "I met Voldemort once or twice… but he was young, too young… eighteen, I think. He had much to learn about war; incredibly brilliant, though, and so used to condemn Dumbledore as naïve. If I noticed something about the boy, it was that he hated ignorance with a passion, so believe me when I tell you he knew about this war. I would not be surprised if Voldemort took part in it, but on which side I could not tell."

Sirius shrugged. "It's not hard to imagine him on the offensive side."

"Don't be so sure of that," replied Castien. "Voldemort might have been a murderer _and_ the Dark Lord, but he never was a friend of genocide or total war. He preferred to keep things contained, so he could fix any mistakes he might make. He liked to be in control. Similarly, what he has done you can undo in a relatively short amount of time, right?"

"It sounds to me like you're defending him," commented Feredir.

"Not defend," argued Castien, face set on a grim mask. "I'm being an outsider on the matter, telling you how lucky you got. Just picture an army fifty thousand men strong marching down the streets of magical London, or at the gates of Hogwarts. How do you fend off _fifty thousand_?"

"Those kinds of armies don't exist anymore, though," commented Katyn, dismissing her father's concern. "You wouldn't be able to recruit so many nowadays."

Megan looked at her twin sister and frowned. "You don't need fifty thousand _humans,_ though. Voldemort recruited a large assortment of Dark creatures to make an army."

"Not fifty thousand," reminded Lily, playing with Ethan's hair, who was gurgling happily on her lap.

Meanwhile, completely unawares of the adults' conversation, the group of young witches, wizards and elves kept chatting among themselves. Destane had seated himself closer to Harry and Kristy, talking about what his Kingdom was like. Kristy, despite herself, listened with rapt attention to every detail, picturing the grand Black Forest in her mind.

Harry, though, was not to be outdone and began speaking of Hogwarts. Ron would have joined him, but he was too busy eating. Neddia had groaned but Luke's face became one of longing. The adult elves listened closely and it wasn't long before the adult witches and wizards began throwing in their own stories from school, disturbing war conversation forgotten.

The jokes and anecdotes came to an abrupt end when Luke suddenly spoke up, shocking even himself.

"I'm going to Hogwarts."

Feredir gave his son a look. "We have spoken about this, Tegalad, you will not go."

Luke took a nervous breath. "I'm not asking, Father. I'm stating."

"Oh, Luke," said his mother, looking crestfallen. "And who is going to pay?"

"I could ask for a scholarship," insisted the elf prince.

"Or I could pay," intervened Sirius, challenging Feredir with flashing grey eyes. "He's my nephew, and he's part wizard. If he wants to study magic I can see to it, and can even provide him with living space during the summer."

Feredir narrowed his eyes. "We are not your parents, Black. We would not turn our backs on our son merely because he goes against our wishes."

"Glad to hear it," growled Sirius.

King Castien shifted his gaze between his two sons-in-law. Pureblood wizard and pureblood elf… no wonder why they clashed so horribly. Personally, he would love it if Luke could go to Hogwarts, considering no letter from Ingoldstadt had shown up in their doorstep.

"I support Sirius," he told the table at large. Sirius beamed at him. Harry and Kristy exchanged looks of surprise and Luke couldn't look more elated. The elves, however, didn't take too well to it.

"Castien, don't go saying nonsense," chided Queen Vanessë. "Luke is faring well with you as a teacher. He does not need to leave."

"But I want to, Grandmother," cut Luke, giving her a desperate glance. "I love Grandfather's classes, but I want to meet new people and see new places. I'd be back every summer to catch up and when I graduate I can come back for good and become a proper Ambassador to represent the elves in Wizard countries, like Ebur!"

Feredir frowned at his son. "And what makes you think Hogwarts would take in an elf?"

Remus cleared his throat. "Dumbledore is a very open-minded headmaster. I should know. We can arrange for Luke being accepted right away. With a little tuition he wouldn't have to miss a year."

The elf turned to his wife. "What do you think?"

Kristy's aunt looked at her son's hopeful face and she couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. She was half-witch, or no?

"I believe," she began slowly, everyone hanging to her every word, "that it is time our court opened to the world. There are six elven kingdoms and none has the opportunity Luke just pointed out. I will miss him terribly, but I'm in favour of Luke going to Hogwarts."

Luke whooped and Harry flashed him a thumbs-up. With half of his family on his side, Luke was well on his way of being the first elf ever admitted into Hogwarts.

For the rest of the holidays, Kristy spent her time avoiding Destane. The elf-boy, nickname courtesy of Ron, had become a lot more insistent on getting to know her and that didn't bode well. On the archery front, all of them were getting better, but Ginny's aim was the best. She said it was because she usually played Chaser when they practised Quidditch at home and usually scored all the goals. For Christmas all of them had been given a different gift from the elves that, curiously, met their needs to perfection. Who would guess how observant elves were?

Kristy had been given a small vial of Spirit Water from her grandmother's personal fountain, intended for healing, and a chameleon cloak made of a material that mimicked her surroundings and gave her cover. Not as effective as the Invisibility Cloak James had given to Harry without Lily noticing, but it did its job. Ron and Ginny had been gifted with their very own bows and arrows, since both Weasleys had taken to archery more than the others, and then Harry and Orion had been given similar daggers made of Mithril that would most likely cut through anything.

The end of the holidays came too soon for anyone's liking, though, and before they knew it the group of witches and wizards was being escorted back to the clearing in the forest where their Portkey had first left them. No promises had been made of Luke attending Hogwarts the next year, but the elf prince's chances were better than ever before, so he waved good-bye at them saying he would see them next summer.

It wasn't until they were on a boat back to England that Harry remembered he had had a task.

"Oh no!" he cried, slapping his forehead and drawing Ron's and Kristy's attentions.

Ron seemed perplexed. "What, Harry?"

Harry gave him a look. "We forgot about Nicholas Flamel!" he whispered urgently. "Hermione is going to kill us!"

Ron paled. "But… didn't you find anything Kristy?"

Kristy bit her bottom lip. "I began reading some books on important wizards, but I never got to Nicholas Flamel. I found Dumbledore and some Christoff McKnight, but I was too excited about coming to Lemuria and I completely forgot. I'm sorry, guys."

The two boys exchanged glances.

"Maybe there's still time," said Harry dubiously. "The train leaves tomorrow and we have the journals. Maybe if you take a peek at the book again you'll find him and then you can tell us through your journal."

Kristy nodded slowly. "I can try, but I can't promise anything. If you haven't found anything at Hogwarts then my small library won't have a lot of answers."

The three sighed and sank into their seats. Whatever was at Hogwarts being guarded by Fluffy could bring Voldemort back. They had to find out what it was at all costs as soon as possible.

Sadly, the next day at the Hogwarts Express Harry got no notes from Kristy enlightening him on the mystery around Nicholas Flamel, but at least when Hermione found them she told them she couldn't find anything either.

The first few days of classes were as fruitless as the ones before the holidays. Nothing seemed to point them in the direction they wanted, and now Harry was swamped by Quidditch practice. It wasn't until the third week of classes that Neville stepped into the common room in a Leg-Lock cast by Malfoy that the answer glared up at them.

After reassuring Neville that he was where he belonged in Gryffindor, Harry had offered him a Chocolate Frog.

"Thanks, Harry," sniffled the other boy. "You collect these, don't you?" he added, holding up a Card.

Harry nodded and took the card as Neville left. "Dumbledore again," he mumbled to Ron and Hermione. He frowned and took a closer look. "Hey, I think…" he said as he turned the card around to read. "Here! Nicholas Flamel! _Dumbledore is best know for his defeat of the Dark Lord Grindelwald… twelve uses of dragon's blood, and his work in alchemy with Nicholas Flamel!_"

Hermione hopped clapping her hands. "I know! I know! I can't believe I didn't think of this before!" she told them before bolting to the girls' dormitories. She returned to the common room before either boy realized what was happening and showed them an entry in a thick book.

'… _alchemy is concerned with the making of the Philosopher's Stone. A stone that gives the drinker the elixir of Life and turns objects into solid gold… the only one in existence belongs to Mr. Nicholas Flamel!'_

"That's what Fluffy's guarding!" cried Hermione.

"Wow," gasped Ron. "I want one of those."

Harry's grin of excitement at having found something fell rather quickly. "Yeah, and Voldemort wants it, too."

Ron flinched at the name. "I've told you not to say that name!"

"Least of our concerns, Ronald!" chided Hermione, snapping the book shut. "You-Know-Who is still around, and if he gets the stone, or Snape gets it for him, then… then he'll live forever."

--

When Kristy heard the news she almost fainted. Like Harry, she felt that the Dark Heir was still alive, but to know that the Dark _Lord _had a chance at coming back really scared her. At least with the Dark Heir there was a chance he would grow into a regular man if his father wasn't around to raise him.

For days it was the only thing she could think about and nightmares about red eyes kept her awake at nights. Occasionally, she would dream with another pair of eyes. These were a sharp, eerie ice blue colour that appeared to glow… the eyes she remembered belonged to the Dark Heir, only to be replaced by a more comforting pair: Deep sapphire blue, shining with mischief, and offering to pay for her cat's collar. Then she would wake up.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and the fear slowly ebbed away. The Philosopher's Stone was still being guarded by Fluffy, and it wasn't as if Dumbledore wouldn't notice the Dark Lord sneaking into Hogwarts. What could sneak into Hogwarts, though, was a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon that was given to Charlie Weasley in the middle of the night, earning Harry and Co. a detention in the Forbidden Forest. Kristy didn't know if she should laugh or be scared all over again when she heard of the adventure, because the centaurs had confirmed Voldemort was actively seeking the Philosopher's Stone.

Which was true, because while Kristen Black thought about the possibility of the Dark Lord breaking into Hogwarts, the Dark Lord himself had a rough sketch of Hogwart's third floor and Jack's latest letter right in front of him, thinking of the most effective way of luring Dumbledore away from his precious school for the night. Maybe he could enter Hogwarts under the man's crooked nose, but it was a risk he wasn't willing to take.

Looking at the sketch, Tom could only guess which corridor would be sealed off to the students. There was one that looked promising, but in Hogwarts one never really knew. Then, if he knew Dumbledore, there would be several traps beyond the door. He would have to improvise a lot but it should be entertaining so long as Durza didn't show up. Diego kept pacing up and down the kitchen, their non-official headquarters, listing all the things that could go wrong.

"… Dumbledore is not going to take the bait, or the floor will swallow you up or something equally random, or Durza will show up on the same night, you'll see! And when he shows up, he's going to kick your-"

"Alright, Diego, I get it," snapped Tom, massaging his temples. Diego deflated slightly and gave him an odd look before resuming his pacing. Tom raised an eyebrow. "Would you relax?"

Diego scowled.

Tom shook his head before shooting a glance at Jack's letter. Jack's silver falcon, Horus, had delivered it that very morning with an update on what was happening at Ingoldstadt. Six months had passed since the last time he had seen the boy, but he kept sending letters once every two weeks. Jack's first letter had been filled with excitement but also with dread. He had described the Millennium Celebration in detail: fireworks, Element Wielding, the food, the music, the shows… it had apparently been a success, but then Jack's letter had taken a more sombre tone as he explained that Desmond Tiny had shown up and given everyone a fright. However, what had given Jack the chills was that Desmond Tiny knew that his father had survived.

Tom, on the other hand, wasn't so surprised. Desmond Tiny was a nuisance that usually knew everything that was happening everywhere. Or at least, everywhere of interest to the squat man. Thankfully, _Destiny _had not come around again and the tone of Jack's letters changed considerably. Ilau Taue had left the school and Nyah Rego had become Headmistress by default. Jack had said it was because Taue kept the Yellow Key and wanted to keep the school safe, but would return shortly. Tom doubted it. Looking down again he caught a snippet of the last letter.

'… _the Wielding Tournament just finished a couple of hours ago. Predictably, a sixth year Earthwielder won it. She's incredible in the arena… no one can get close to her! The Firewielder that was duelling with her was toast because Fire works best in close range. I say bugger because Fire is cool. Actually, I've been thinking about my Element… You're Air and Mom was Water, right? Do genetics dictate the Element I get to wield?'_

Tom sighed at the boy's handwriting. He had to admit it was good: clean, slanted, a bit irregular but perfectly legible. It looked a little similar to his own, in fact, though it still lacked elegance.

"Jack's been thinking of his Element," he said suddenly, without realizing that Diego had been talking to him.

Diego scowled at him a little more but let it slide. "Fire is best," he stated.

Tom frowned. "I'm not about to go into an argument about which element is the best of the four," he said slowly. "Anyway, your sparks can't beat a strong wind."

Diego pretended to think. "Did you feel that draft? I'll go close the windows… have it stamp on a pane of glass rather than cause us discomfort."

"Ha, real funny, Hawkins," replied Tom dryly, folding Jack's letter and stowing it away in a pocket. "Seriously, you should be a trovador."

"Those don't exist anymore," growled Diego.

"Precisely," quipped Tom. He rolled up the parchment with the rough map of Hogwarts and conjured it away with a wave of his hand.

The brunet sat down in front of the Dark Lord and gave him a look. "Fine, all kidding aside, I'd like my godson to be a Firewielder."

"And I would like him to turn out an Airwielder," countered Tom patiently. "Just like Sam would have liked him to be a Waterwielder. Let the boy grow into it. His personality is not fully developed yet."

Diego chuckled. "And if he does turn out to be Fire?"

Tom tilted his head slightly. "Then you will teach him that bit of magic. Fewer things that _I'll _have to teach him. I'm looking forward to see him put your sparks to shame with some real flames, Hawkins."

"Ow, shut it," grumbled Diego, sinking into his chair. "You expect too much from that boy in my opinion."

Tom sat back. "Should I not? I know he has the spirit and the power to meet any expectations I may have of him, he just needs to hone his skills. Do you have parchment and a quill somewhere here?"

Diego blinked at the change of topic but conjured the aforementioned writing materials and handed them over to the Dark wizard. "What's on your mind?"

"A Ministry letter," replied Tom, dipping the quill in black ink. "I need Dumbledore out of Hogwarts around the time the students will be in exams. Teachers will be busy and may overlook a thing or two."

"I can't believe you're actually going through with this," sighed Diego, watching Tom write the letter in someone else's handwriting.

"Relax," growled Tom. "If memory serves, exams won't start for another week or so. Besides, it's not as if you are the one who can run into Durza."

"Yes, that's what worries me," snapped Diego, sitting straight again. "You go in spirit form, and don't give that Shade a chance to possess you. Knowing you, you're not going to listen to what I say."

Tom looked up from the letter with a smirk. "Aw, bitter much?"

Diego lit a small flame on his palm as response and made it jump from finger to finger, pointedly ignoring his friend.

"Crybaby," smirked Tom, going back to the letter he was writing.

--

Harry winced.

He had been doing that a lot lately because his scar kept bothering him. He knew it was a warning, but of what, he could not tell. He told Kristy through the journal but her friend's concern had softened a little, considering how much the scar prickled in the past.

'At least exams are over,' he thought, rubbing his scar fiercely. He was walking between Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts grounds and only half-listening to their new argument on Goblin Wars. Those two always made his headaches worse.

"I'm going to Hagrid's," he announced suddenly, seeing the cabin in the distance and Hagrid himself sitting outside. "I just thought of something."

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance and strode after him.

"What is it, Harry?" called Ron.

Harry tightened his pace. "I just remembered, how many people go walking around with dragon eggs? No one would barter something like that… Hagrid must have given something to him in exchange, something valuable. What if it was information?"

Hermione caught up with him and clutched his shoulder. "Harry, you don't think-"

"Hullo, you three!" called Hagrid cheerfully before Hermione could finish speaking. "Out for some fresh air? Do you good afte' all those stuffy exams. Wan' somthin' to drink?"

"Yes, please," said Ron.

"No thanks, Hagrid," cut Harry. "We need to- Hagrid? Why is that side of your cabin scorched like that? You don't have another dragon, do you?"

"Of course not, Harry," said Hagrid, waving his hand. "You know no dragon could replace Norbert," he added, looking at the patch of blackened rock on the side of his cabin with an odd glint in his eyes. "Tha' was the Dark Heir, that was."

Hermione stared at the burnt rock with fascination. "He did that? Why?"

"Your brothers, Ron," replied Hagrid with a wistful grin. "That was the day Fred n' George were poking fun at the Dark Heir. Spirited little thing he was. Fang liked 'im, for some reason. Don' remember what those two told 'im that riled 'im up so much, but the little bugger shocked us all setting fire on 'em, he did. No wand at all… jus' flames, and he burned me cabin on accident. Then Professor Dumbledore showed up, great man, Dumbledore, n' he broke up the fight with a spell tha' sent all three boys flyin' in different directions. Poor little bugger crashed badly with 'em walls, and got angrier still. He was goin' to burn Professor Dumbledore, but I grabbed him robes and lifted 'im off the ground. Had some spirit, that boy, but I wouldn' set 'im down 'til he said 'please', n' he did! The kid could be sweet sometimes… n' then he went off n' died," he added sadly, looking at the scorch mark. "I can't bring meself to clean it, y'know? He's gone and that mark's all tha's left of 'im in Hogwarts."

"Hagrid," said Ron, giving the half-giant a look of disbelief. "He was a Dark Wizard. You couldn't be fond of him!"

"Ye didn't know him, Ronald," bristled Hagrid. "He had charm, the little runt. Spent a lo' of time here in me cabin. Said Snape made 'im feel like the main course."

Harry had to agree. "Snape can make anyone feel like the main course, the overgrown bat. He could be a vampire."

"Yes, yes," sniffled Hagrid, wiping his eyes. "But ye wanted ter talk to me. What is it?"

"Norbert," said Harry right away. "The stranger that gave you his egg, what did he look like?"

Hagrid thought back. "Dunno. His hood covered his face."

"Was he interested in Fluffy?"

Hagrid scoffed. "Of course. Three-headed dogs ain't common. Told 'im Fluffy was no trouble… play 'im some music and he'll go right ter sleep- _I shouldn' have told ye that!"_

But the trio was already running back to the castle. Dumbledore had to know that someone knew how to get past Fluffy, and that it could be Voldemort himself. To their dismay, Dumbledore had received an owl from the Ministry with urgent business he had to attend to, throwing Harry into a fit of desperation.

"It's tonight," he kept saying. "Snape or Voldemort is going to get past Fluffy tonight. He'll get to the Philosopher's Stone. I have to stop him."

Ron and Hermione spluttered. Harry? Versus Voldemort? Alone? HA!

"Harry, you can't be seriously considering this," interrupted Hermione. "If you're found out you'll be expelled!"

Harry scowled at her. "So what? If I don't try Voldemort gets the Stone, and if I'm really found out then I'll go back home and wait for him to find me there, because I know he will. Then he'll kill me, and possibly my parents and my little brother, because I know that none of us is ever going over to the Dark Side!"

Ron and Hermione exchanged a glance. Hermione bit her lip.

"I'm going through that trapdoor tonight," continued Harry in a calmer tone. He began pacing and playing with his wand. "I'm taking my dad's Invisibility cloak."

Ron tilted his head to the side. "Do you think it can cover all of us?"

Harry did a double take. "What?"

The redhead rolled his eyes. "You didn't think that we'd let you do this alone, did you? We're coming."

"But-"

"No buts, Harry," said Hermione brightly.

"And the traps?" reminded Harry, waving his arms. "Remember Hagrid let something slip about there being several traps?"

Hermione waved his concerns away. "Then we'll help. Three brains think better than one."

Recognizing a lost battle, Harry let the matter drop.

That very night, Harry, Ron and Hermione huddled under the adult sized cloak and descended all the way down to the third floor. The only setbacks they encountered were Neville and Peeves, and neither of them put up much of a fight, as opposed to the trials they had to face later to get to the Stone. Ron fell at the end of the Chess game, and Hermione was forced to go back in the Potions room because there was only enough antidote for Harry to keep going. Someone else had already gone through the other side.

Harry gulped down whatever remained of the cool liquid in the bottle before stepping through the black flames, knowing there was no going back now. Snape would be at the other side, probably with his hands on the Stone already. In the worst-case scenario, Voldemort himself would be staring back at him as soon as he crossed the threshold. If Hermione didn't get the letter to Dumbledore soon…

What he _did_ see at the other side was not something he was expecting at all, unless Snape had dyed his hair red or Voldemort had somehow gotten a new body without the Stone _and _dyed his hair red, both of which were rather unlikely.

At his small gasp of surprise, whomever the stranger was turned around and fixed him with a cold maroon stare. The look of slight surprise on the man's face changed into a sickening grin and Harry stepped back in horror. What was this _thing_?

"My, I was not expecting you, Harry Potter," he sneered.

Harry bit his lip. _Yeah, I wasn't expecting you either,_ he thought.

"Who are you?" asked Harry shakily.

"Who I am is of no consequence to you," replied the man. He turned his back on Harry and leaned forward. "Now, how do I get through this accursed thing?"

Harry blinked and peeked over the adult's shoulder. He saw a tall, sparkling mirror with a dusty bronze frame. His own pale reflection stared back.

"You know what I find funny?" the man asked the empty room at large. Harry could only swallow and stare. "I happened to arrive at this school at the same time the Headmaster left. I had no need to draw him away. Someone else's work, perhaps?"

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked uncertainly.

The stranger turned around to face him again. "You are perceptive, are you not, wizard?"

Harry chose to remain quiet.

"Come forward, boy," the stranger commanded. "Look into the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry stared into the stranger's cool maroon eyes and for a moment thought he saw a red gleam in them. He blinked and the red gleam was gone. The stranger looked like he would murder Harry if he didn't get a move on, so he slowly started walking toward him.

_I'll lie,_ thought Harry, as he got closer to the adult. _I'll lie about what I see, that's all._

"No, don't even think about it," the stranger warned him suddenly, as if he'd read Harry's mind. "I want nothing but the truth."

Harry paled and avoided looking at the stranger again. He'd heard about certain witches and wizards who could see into your mind if you looked into their eyes. Instead, he sidestepped the stranger and faced the tall mirror before him. It sparkled innocently back at him for a moment before he noticed something utterly bizarre.

His breath caught in his throat and he jumped back a foot, almost crashing into the stranger. The adult sidestepped him and went to stand beside the mirror's frame, looking at Harry with something akin to amusement. Harry, however, was looking around with surprise at the near empty chamber. He was sure he had seen a third person reflected on the mirror's surface. A boy.

He glanced back into the mirror and there he was again, standing at the right of his own reflection with an impish grin. The other boy couldn't be older than eleven, and shared many characteristics with him. There was the unruly jet-black hair, the pale skin, the knobby knees, the small frame. There wasn't, however, a bolt-shaped scar on his forehead or glasses over his blue eyes.

Harry didn't realize his jaw was hanging open until the reflection of the blue-eyed boy moved. It rested its left arm on the right shoulder of Harry's reflection and leaned casually against it. The boy's free hand plunged into his jeans' pocket and came back out with a blood-red stone the size of an egg. Harry's own reflection smiled secretly and brought a finger to its lips. The blue-eyed boy then passed the stone to Harry's reflection and it put the stone away in its own pocket. Harry started when he felt a real weight fall into his real pocket. Somehow –incredibly- _he had gotten the Philosopher's Stone!_

Harry looked up in amazement at the two reflections staring back at him with _identical_ grins. As if knowing what was going through his mind, the other boy winked a clear blue eye at him and ruffled his own black hair so that it would look windblown –a gesture James often made to annoy Lily.

"Well?" barked the stranger suddenly, breaking the spell that had fallen over Harry. "What do you see?"

Harry cleared his throat. "I-I see… m-my…" he glanced at the two reflections and the blue-eyed boy straightened up. "My brother."

The stranger lifted an eyebrow.

Harry stared back. It wasn't a lie.

Suddenly, the stranger lunged forward with a long knife in his hand and Harry gasped. He tried to bolt for the flame door, but one of the stranger's hands closed around his wrist and at that moment a needle-sharp pain exploded on his scar. He fought the stranger's iron grip but stopped abruptly when he felt cold steel at his throat.

"What else did you see, Potter?"

Harry held his breath and, without thinking it through, tried to pry his wrist from the stranger's grip again. Instantly, the stranger let out a cry of pain and pushed Harry away, making him land painfully on the floor.

He managed to open his eyes through the pain that was blinding him and looked up to see the stranger clutching his temples with a fierce scowl, knife forgotten. His eyes shifted from maroon to bright red in quick succession, but when red seemed to impose itself over maroon for a longer moment, their eyes met and the pain coming from Harry's forehead became so intense his conscience began slipping.

He heard screaming, cursing and names that made no sense to him. His head was spinning like it never had before, and still he managed to feel the Philosopher's Stone pressing against his leg. He thought he could hear other voices, maybe inside his own head, screaming "Harry! Harry!" and then…

Darkness.

--


	22. Aftermath

Chapter 21 – Unnamed

**A/N: **Hello again! Whoop! I'm proud of myself, I managed to update a lot faster than I usually do lol but it's sad that we're closer to the end :(

**--**

**Chapter 21 – ****Aftermath**

"How is he?"

"Better, I think… or at least he doesn't look as pale as yesterday."

"I just want him to wake up."

"I know."

"Poor Harry. It must have been terrifying down there."

"You bet," he whispered hoarsely. His eyes fluttered open and he saw the blurry forms of his parents sitting by his bedside.

"Harry, you're up!" cried his mother, leaning forward and running a hand through his hair.

James smiled and handed Harry his glasses. "Hey, kiddo. Welcome back to the land of the living."

"Thanks, Dad," replied Harry, taking the glasses from his father and putting them on. The world swam into focus and he glanced around the room, trying to identify where he was. All around him were boxes of sweets and get-well cards, but there were also many empty beds with white sheets on them. The Hospital Wing. "Wait…" he said suddenly with a frown. "The stone! What happened? Did someone get to it? Is it safe? What-"

"Easy, Harry," called an old voice from the doorway.

All three Potters whirled around to face the Headmaster who was smiling benignly at them.

At the sight of him, Harry tried to sit up but Lily's hand on his chest stopped him. It didn't deter Harry, though. "Professor, the Philosopher's Stone! It was in my pocket, but I blacked out, and there was this stranger down there-"

Dumbledore lifted a hand to silence the boy. Harry reluctantly fell silent but kept his eyes trained on the old Headmaster.

"The stone is safe, dear boy, thanks to you," said Dumbledore softly but clearly. "The real question is, how are you?"

James and Lily turned back to their son with questioning gazes.

Harry looked a bit uncomfortable under all the attention. "Fine, I guess," he croaked.

James reached out for a glass and a pitcher of water resting on Harry's bedside table. He poured a glass of water and handed it over to his son.

Harry accepted the glass with a smile. "Thanks, Dad."

After taking a long swig, the boy looked back at the Headmaster. "Sir, the stone- who was that man down there?"

"I see you are not to be deterred," said Dumbledore with a grin. "Very well, then. I'm sure your parents will be glad to hear about this as well."

"That would be nice, yes," answered James. Lily swatted at his shoulder.

"Don't be rude, James."

James rubbed his shoulder and scowled at her playfully. "I wasn't being rude, I was-"

"You were!"

"Was not!"

"Were too!"

Dumbledore chuckled, making both Potters blush. Harry sniggered at his parents' antics.

"As I said, the stone is safe," repeated Dumbledore, coming closer to Harry's bed. "My friend Nicolas and I had a long talk and decided it would be for the best if the stone were destroyed."

Harry looked taken aback. "But, Sir, the Elixir… won't your friend die without it?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Well, yes, I'm afraid he will. But trust me, he has enough Elixir left to set his affairs in order."

James and Lily exchanged a glance.

"And this stranger Harry keeps mentioning," said Lily. "What of him?"

Dumbledore's eyebrows rose. "That, my dear girl, is the most unsettling issue of them all."

"How so?" asked James, giving Harry's shoulder a squeeze.

"I cannot tell for sure who that man was," confessed Dumbledore, conjuring up a chair and sitting down on it. He was getting ready for a long explanation. "To be completely honest, I had never seen him before, but I did recognize a presence down there that should not be among us anymore."

The Potters looked intrigued. Harry tilted his head in confusion. "A presence, Professor?"

Dumbledore let out a deep sigh. "I am afraid that it was the presence of none other than Lord Voldemort."

Lily tensed up and James drew a sharp breath. Harry, however, looked like he had been expecting it.

"He's trying to come back, isn't he?" he asked quietly. His parents turned to look at him in disbelief.

"You knew about this?" cried Lily with a gasp. "But how?"

Harry shrugged. "We had our suspicions."

James took a deep breath to calm himself down. "And you saw it fit to keep all of us in the dark?" he said in a low voice.

Harry eyed his father warily. "If I had told you anything, would you have believed me?"

"Yes!"

"Now is not the time, James," snapped Lily with a worried frown. She faced Dumbledore again and bit her lip. "So what does this mean, Albus? How could _he _slip into Hogwarts just like that? Why is he still alive at all? Actually, scratch that, is he alive?"

Dumbledore smiled sadly at her. "It would seem he really is alive, just without a body, so he cannot be killed. It does not look like Durza did a good job of killing him last year; but then again, Voldemort was –and still is- a very powerful wizard. I fear that if there is someone who can trick death, that would be him. In my opinion, though it is merely a theory of mine, Voldemort possessed that man's body three nights ago in order to accomplish something. Without a body, he is relatively harmless. Had he gotten the stone, we would be having a very different conversation."

Lily shook her head in desperation. "You mean that he can really come back?"

"He will try," replied Dumbledore. "Over and over again. I don't expect him to be very happy about little Jack's death, either. I am afraid that if he does come back, one of the first things he will do is avenge his Heir, and that revenge will probably fall on us. However, if every time he tries to come back someone delays him, like Harry here did, why, he just might never return to power."

Harry nodded but his parents still didn't seem appeased. Nevertheless, they remained quiet, lost in thought.

"Sir?" he said tentatively. Dumbledore gave him a smile. "There is just one more thing that I'd like to ask."

"Just the one?"

Harry nodded again. "The stone… there was a mirror there, tall with a gold frame. When I looked into it I saw –or at least I'd like to think- that I saw Alan. He had the stone and somehow he-he gave it to me. How-?"

The old wizard smiled mysteriously, pretending he didn't see the elder Potters stiffen at the sound of the name of their dead son.

"Now, Harry, I'm glad you asked that," replied Dumbledore with twinkling eyes. "You see, that was no ordinary mirror. It is called the Mirror of Erised; it is a mirror that shows us the deepest, most desperate desires of our hearts. You lost your twin brother years ago. Losing something so precious leaves a hollow in our hearts that can never be filled again, and the mirror sensed that in you. That is why it showed you Alan, standing right beside you as if nothing had ever happened to him."

Dumbledore made a short pause. Lily was sniffling by now and James was stroking her red hair softly with a far-off look in his eyes. The old wizard suddenly seemed very interested in a bird sitting by the Hospital Wing's window. He was still amazed by the Potters' fierce determination to love their lost son, even when Alan could have brought about Harry's death. He cleared his throat.

"As for how you managed to pull the stone from the mirror, Harry, that is because only those who wanted to _find _the stone –but not use it- would be able to retrieve it. Otherwise, they would see themselves drinking the Elixir of Life or turning objects into solid gold. And between you and me, it has been one of my most brilliant ideas to date."

The Headmaster winked at him and Harry smiled softly at the gesture. "What about Ron and Hermione, though? Are they alright?"

"They're fine, darling," answered Lily, ruffling Harry's hair. "They'll be happy to know you've woken up. Maybe Madame Pomfrey will let them in later."

"Yeah," said Harry softly, his gaze wandering over to the piles of sweets. The Stone was safe, Ron and Hermione were fine, and Voldemort was relatively harmless at the moment. It seemed things were almost back to normal.

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "If I may," he said, drawing the attention of all three Potters to himself, "I would suggest that you make a start on these sweets."

Lily frowned. "They're not exactly a suitable first meal after three days of being out," she said slowly.

James huffed. "It's food, Lils, Harry must be hungry."

"But sweets?"

Dumbledore chuckled before casting a look over the sweets as well. "Ah! Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans! I cannot say I like them since an incident with a vomit-flavoured one, but I think that I'll be well off with a nice toffee, don't you think?"

He smiled brightly and popped a golden-brown sweet into his mouth before James could give him a warning. Dumbledore furrowed his eyebrows. "Alas! Ear wax!"

**--**

The first sight that met him when he opened his eyes was none other than that of his son with his arms crossed over his chest, tapping his foot and giving him a dirty look. His blue eyes were bright with irritation. That was the first thing he noticed about the boy's appearance: his eyes. They had the annoying tendency of lightening from deep sapphire into an eerie ice-blue colour if he went into one of his moods.

"So," whispered the boy, finally ending the infuriating tapping. "_So._"

Tom fought the need to laugh at the boy's attempt at intimidation. "So?"

Jack's eyes narrowed. "So you're aware that if Mum were here, she would slap the living daylights out of you, right?" he drawled.

Tom lifted an eyebrow and sat up. He fought back a wince when he felt a stab of pain on his right temple and focused on the dark-haired boy still glaring at him. "Shouldn't you be in school?"

"School's over," replied Jack cuttingly. "It's been over for a couple of days now. Diego picked me up in Port Aquila and told me you were back from your 'mission' but that you were unconscious. We thought you'd slipped into that coma again."

"Charming," muttered Tom, massaging his temples. "How long have I been out?"

"Almost a week," said Jack, and the slight tremor in his voice told Tom that despite his 'intimidating' façade, Jack had been worried out of his mind. "I still can't understand how you pulled it off."

Tom smirked. "Being unconscious for a week or possessing a Shade?"

Jack growled. "It's not funny, Father. Hades knows what could have happened to you."

Tom grimaced before casting a glance around the room. It was still dark, though that was probably because the curtains were closed. He cast them open with a lazy wave of his hand and stared off into space, waiting for Jack to say something else. When it became obvious that the boy was not going to say anything and that he was beginning to get irritated, Tom let out a silent sigh.

"I considered possessing Potter for a moment," he confided softly, massaging his right temple. The pounding on his head was getting worse. "That way at least I would have had a wand to fight the Shade, but Potter is as scrawny as hell –hardly duellist material. Besides, I cannot touch him… it burns for some reason, so possession was out of the question."

"Hey," said Jack suddenly, losing his 'mean' look. "That rhymed!"

Tom sent him a withering glare.

Jack shivered and looked away. "Sorry… couldn't resist," he apologized. He then cleared his throat and resumed his intimidating façade. "So you were saying?"

Tom allowed his face to fall into his hand and muttered a string of curses under his breath. _Why him?_ Sure, he wasn't a nice person but this was ridiculous. He took a deep, calming breath and managed to look back at his annoying heir.

"I was saying," continued Tom, irritation clear in his voice, "that as far as possession goes, I cannot possess a Shade. A Shade is a spirit. I can, however, possess the body the Shade is already possessing and fight the other spirit for control."

Jack blinked at his father. "Are you really allowed to do that?" he asked blankly.

His father smirked. "Of course not. But if you are cold-blooded enough, the Dark Arts have no virtual limit."

For some strange reason Jack suddenly wanted to run out of the room and lock himself up in his own room until the feeling of imminent danger had passed. He had to remind himself that as dangerous as his father was, the man would never harm him. It was a very strange feeling, being scared of your own father for the things he could do, but then again, how many kids had a Dark Lord for a father? He fought back a shudder and concentrated on his father's bright crimson orbs.

"What happened to the Keystone?" he asked finally, dropping his façade once more.

Tom's face darkened. "Dumbledore has it. He arrived before I could take it from Potter, but at least Durza doesn't have it either. I don't know what became of him, but I know for sure that he will need another body. The last one couldn't put up with the strain of two spirits fighting over it."

"And Dumbledore is still completely oblivious to the Keystone issue, isn't he?" asked Jack dryly.

"Quite," replied Tom in the same dry tone.

Both Riddles fell into a lapse of silence. Then Jack frowned.

"And how did Potter get the Keystone in the first place?"

Tom raised his eyebrows. "No idea."

"Lovely."

"Indeed."

Silence.

Jack scratched the back of his neck, for lack of something better to do more than anything, and avoided looking at his father again. He absolutely hated this kind of silence. He had nothing left to say, and clearly his father was in the same position because he was staring at the windowsill. Leaving the room was out of the question –it would be too awkward- as would be commenting on the lovely weather.

He risked a glance at the adult, still looking in another direction, lost in thought. He looked a little paler than usual, but he definitely looked healthy and he was sitting up, so that was a good sign. He was infinitely grateful that his godfather was a Healer.

After a full minute of silence he finally had it.

"Argh, let's just get out of here!" he cried, throwing his arms in the air and turning around, ready to leave the room.

Tom glanced lazily in his direction. "Patience is definitely not your virtue, brat," he drawled.

Jack stopped at the door's frame and growled, eyes becoming a shade lighter. "I'll be in the kitchen."

He stepped out of the room and made his way down the hallway with his father's soft laugh in his ears. He didn't like his father laughing at him, but lately it seemed it was common occurrence. Jack supposed he did provide amusement in some childish, twisted way, but he rather his father took him seriously.

He jogged quietly down the stairs –he wasn't fond of making noise when he moved- and stepped into the kitchen without even noticing. Diego wasn't home. He'd left to restock his potions ingredients and left Jack to monitor his father in case he woke up.

_Trust Father to wake up on the very day the Healer is absent, _thought Jack to himself as he opened the pantry to find- _nothing_. He scowled and closed the pantry again, resolving to sit at the table and wait with his head in his hands for his father to come downstairs.

And downstairs he did come, fully dressed and as if the last week had never happened. He spared the boy a glance and stifled a yawn. Yes, Dark Lords yawn too… just not in front of their evil, stupid minions. Not that Jack was one.

"I've been thinking…" he began, his voice trailing off into nothing.

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "What about?"

Tom leaned against the counter and fixed Jack with a piercing stare. Jack shifted uncomfortably. Why couldn't he just get used to his father's stares? His eyes weren't even red at the moment!

After a long pause, Tom relaxed. "I've been thinking about Maggie and Alfred. I keep wondering if they would like their old jobs back."

Now Jack was confused. "Their old jobs? Wouldn't we need our old house back if they were to return to their old jobs?" he asked with a small frown. Maggie had been their old Housekeeper and Alfred had been their Butler. After the death of Jack's mother and Jack's disappearance, Tom had left the house and Maggie and Alfred had had no choice but to leave as well.

Tom offered Jack one of his infamous smirks. "We can have the house back. I don't think I'll be slipping into comas again any time soon, and Diego probably wants his personal space back," he added, waving his arm around to make a point. "The house wasn't sold, and I doubt anything happened to everything that was inside."

"We'd just need Maggie and Alfred," said Jack, liking his father's idea. He had almost said 'and everything will be back to the way it was', but caught himself at the last moment. Nothing would ever be the way it was before. Not now that his mother was dead.

"I may have an idea of where they went to," said Tom suddenly, straightening up before tapping his chin in thought.

Jack snorted softly. "Yeah, that's what I was about to ask. Maggie is probably going to flip when she sees me alive."

"And grown," added Tom, sizing the boy up. "You look a little gaunt, but you are definitely taller."

Jack looked at his father in disbelief. "I _do not _look gaunt!"

Tom's eyes narrowed. "Careful, brat, you do have Gaunt blood."

"Ha, funny," replied Jack sarcastically. Who'd ever thought the Dark Lord would make a pun out of his own mother's maiden name? He was definitely feeling better now, but Jack was ready to bet that Tom had hit his head somewhere because he wasn't usually this… _benign_.

"At any rate," said Tom, trying to get back on topic, "I'll tell Diego about this tonight, and we may be moving back to our old house by the end of the week. Then I can look for Maggie and Alfred, and a house-elf would come in handy, too… can you handle looking for one?"

Jack felt his jaw drop. "Are you seriously asking me to look for a house-elf?"

Tom's eyes rolled Heavenwards. "No, Jack, I asked you to pour me a cup of tea."

Jack scowled at him. "Fine then. How many cubes of sugar? Ten? Because you certainly need them! When do you want me to start looking?"

His father tapped the counter with his fingers, ignoring Jack's previous comment on sugar cubes. "It's your summer holiday, I'll leave the decision up to you. I'll have enough work to do as it is."

"Yes, I'm sure," quipped Jack dryly. His father sent him a _look_.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'll start looking a couple of days before we move. It's not like I have anything better to do, and so far no one's seen beyond my new identity, _Christoff_. Not even Sirius Black last Christmas."

"See that it stays that way, _Daniel_," replied Tom, crimson eyes narrowing.

**--**

True to his word, Jack set out to 'hunt' for a house-elf after Diego agreed to let them out of the house. Tom had been hiding there for about a year already and was beginning to get sick of the place, and Jack simply wanted to go home, so both Riddles set out to rebuild their household.

Tom hadn't received a response from Maggie or Alfred yet, but he was busy resetting the Fidelius Charm that protected the house with Diego as the Secret Keeper.

While that happened, Jack resolved to go a little farther than Downtown to find a house-elf. There were bound to be a few unemployed house-elves in the wealthy residential area, on the second ring of the citadel. The walk was much longer than what he was used to, because he also had to get past the ring with the theatres and libraries and music halls. Having Ayax with him would have been great, but a black winged-horse was bound to attract attention and that was not something Jack needed.

Like Downtown, Jack knew the residential area well. His house used to stand in this ring, thus he also knew a couple of people, but his parents had always kept him hidden from strangers to protect him, so they had probably forgotten all about him already.

He paused for a moment and sighed. The houses were big here, with their lavish front gardens and cobblestone driveways, and their tall, spiked iron fences. Here and there he managed to spot a fountain or a monument, with the occasional park and bits of forests. It was a very nice neighbourhood. When he had been a little boy, he had spent most of his free time exploring the forest surrounding his home with his two childhood friends: Audrey Cineris and Chantal Lestrange.

Audrey's father was David Cineris, whom Tom and Sam referred to as Cin, and had apparently attended Ingoldstadt with Tom, but they had moved to England after Tom's supposed death. Chantal, on the other hand, was merely a constant visitor and Rabastan Lestrange's daughter from a one-night stand, he'd heard his mother say once. Back when he was seven, he had forgotten to ask his mother what the heck a one-night stand was.

Now that he was eleven, after three years in the street among slave-traders, he knew the meaning of a one-night stand inside out and it still gave him the creeps. The idea was still too revolting for his eleven-year-old mind.

Shuddering a little, he resumed his walk and tried not to make eye contact with passers-by to avoid awkward confrontations. He just needed a house-elf, after all.

He walked for several hours asking around households if any house-elves were available, or if they knew where to get a house-elf, before frustration began settling in. Most households thought he was trying to sell them something and their butlers closed the door on his face before he could even open his mouth. His father was right: patience wasn't his virtue.

"Where do I find a house-elf?" he huffed, shoving his hands into his robes' pockets and glaring around. Now he knew exactly why his father had sent him on the errand. Cruel, horrible old man.

"Is Sir looking for a house-elf, Sir?"

Jack jumped a foot in the air when he heard the squeaky voice behind him and whirled around with his wand already in hand. There was no one behind him but trees and street lamps adorning the sidewalk.

"Who's there?" he called, blue eyes flashing.

A black-haired head poked from behind one of the street lamps and stared fearfully at him with big grey eyes.

"I is sorry, Sir!" the creature squeaked with its tiny hands on its cheeks. "Nina did not mean to scare young Sir! Nina was only following young Sir because he looked angry, Sir, and Nina wanted to helps, Sir!"

Jack stared at the tiny creature with no little amount of befuddlement. "You've been following me around?"

The house-elf, for that is what Nina was, blinked her big grey eyes at him. "Why, yes, Sir, for two hours now, Sir," she replied slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Nina is seen young Sir knocking on doors, and Nina is feeling sorry for him, Sir, when those old, nasty butlers closed them doors on young Sir's nose, Sir."

Jack lowered his arm slowly and his grip on his wand slackened. "Are you serious?" he asked dryly.

Nina seemed confused. "Why, yes, Sir."

The boy fought back a cry of frustration and instead took a deep breath. "Nina, do you know why I was knocking on doors in the first place?"

Now Nina seemed completely lost. Why was the young Sir asking such obvious questions? "Sir cried he wanted to find a house-elf, Sir," she replied uncertainly. What if it was a trick question?

Jack nodded. It was best not to argue with the house-elf. "Do you have a master, Nina?" he asked tentatively.

Nina lowered her head in shame. "N-no, Sir," she said tearfully. She sniffled and looked up again. "But Nina can help young Sir look for a house-elf if he likes, Sir."

Jack almost laughed with relief. "Nina," he choked, holding back a chuckle. "_You're_ a house-elf."

"I is a house-elf, yes, Sir," she replied, wiping away her tears. She was still hiding behind her street lamp, so Jack couldn't see what she was dressed like.

"Come out, Nina," ordered Jack, putting away his wand. "I'm not going to hurt you."

He heard Nina swallow her nerves, and saw her step away from her hiding place shaking from head to foot, making her bat-like ears tremble. She was dressed in a simple lilac dress and, for a house-elf, she was actually pretty and very young.

"Is Sir wanting Nina's help, Sir?" she asked in a whisper, possibly scared out of her mind that Jack would turn her down.

Jack smiled. "I don't want your help for finding a house-elf, no," he replied, and for a moment Nina looked like she would have a stroke. Jack shook his head at her reaction. "I want you to work for me- well, my family, really, since you said you have no master and all-_uff!_"

Nina had flung herself at Jack in happiness with enough force to make him fall, and hugged him tightly around the knees.

"Young Sir is wanting to take Nina in!" she sobbed. "Nina can never repays you, Sir, never, never!"

Jack was at a loss of what to do. Nina was crying, and he was terrible with tears. He cleared his throat and tried to lighten the situation. "Why don't you start by letting me go so we can go home?" he suggested.

Nina beamed up at him and let him go almost immediately. "I is sorry, Si- Master," she said shyly. "I do call you Master now, Sir, do I?"

Jack chuckled. "That's fine Nina. Master's fine."

"Nina can take us home, if you likes, Master," offered the little elf, wiping her tears on her dress. "Almost dinner time, Master."

"You can Apparate us home?" asked Jack hopefully. He really didn't feel like crossing half the citadel on foot again.

"Yes, Master, yes," replied Nina, grey eyes sparkling. "Master just says the address, Master, and _bam! _Nina takes us there, Master."

A grin slowly formed on Jack features. "Number 16, Outermost ring, then."

Nina clapped and Disapparated, leaving Jack standing alone in the street.

He blinked in surprise and looked around before a loud _pop _made him jump for the second time that day.

It was Nina, blushing madly. "I is sorry, Master. I is very excited, Master," she explained, before grabbing a hold of his wrist and Disapparating them both to Diego's house.

The sun was already beginning to set when Jack went up the steps with Nina trailing behind him. He pulled out his set of keys and was about to open the door when the door opened out of its own accord.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up," said Diego looking down at him. "You better have an excuse."

"I do," countered Jack, fiddling with his keys. "I was looking for a house-elf, and I found one. Look! This is Nina," he introduced the little elf, beckoning her forward. "She'll be working with us from now on."

Nina peeked at Diego from behind Jack's legs and waved at him tentatively. "Evening, Master."

Diego chuckled. "I'm not your Master, Nina, my friend is. He's inside," he told them. "Now come in quickly, Jack, and go to your room. Nina can help you pack."

Jack stopped in his tracks. "Pack?" he asked with a frown.

Diego ushered him inside and Nina quickly followed. "Pack, yes. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning."

"Does that mean Maggie and Alfred answered?" said Jack with a guarded glint in his eyes.

Diego nodded.

Jack smiled. "Tomorrow it is then. Come, Nina."

The house-elf squeaked and rushed after her new young Master up the wooden staircase and into his guest room at the end of the hall, anxious to get to know her new household.

The next day found them outside the house with their bags shrunk and tucked away in their pockets. Jack was bouncing anxiously next to his father, much to the Dark Lord's annoyance, and Nina was practically jumping next to Jack, much to Jack's annoyance. Diego was trying not to laugh at the sight.

"Can we go now?" asked Jack impatiently.

"Keep asking me that and you'll have to walk all the way there by yourself," snapped Tom.

Jack scowled. "Fine then," he grumbled, glaring down at the ground and standing still for a change.

Diego chuckled. "So this is where we part," he said. "To be perfectly honest, I was beginning to get tired of you two."

Jack growled in response.

"Charming," replied Tom dryly. "Get ready to leave, brat."

Jack sighed. "One day you're going to regret calling me that. Let's just go," he added before turning back to Diego and holding on to his father's forearm. "See you around, I guess."

Diego simply smiled and exchanged a quick look with Tom, who in turn smirked and Disapparated.

A moment later, Jack was standing in front of his old front garden. The grass was dead and only weeds seemed to survive here, but at least the house was intact. Nina Apparated beside them only a second later and stared at the house in wonder.

The inside was just as intact, but a thick layer of dust had settled over the furniture and floors. After all, no one had lived here in a little over three years, and now Nina was excited to make up for them by cleaning everything.

As Tom wandered off to the second landing, Jack decided to reacquaint himself with the ground floor. They had a small meeting room here, for the most trusted Death Eaters like the Lestranges, as well as their significant library, a drawing room, and Sam's music room.

The red oak floorboards creaked under his weight as he walked further into the house, slowly taking everything in. He stopped in front of a door at the end of the hallway and traced the engravings on the wood with a finger. This was the door to his mother's music room; her favourite room. She had been really good with strings.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped inside cautiously. The room was in shadows, but the curtains were closed. Jack remembered this was the room that received the most sunlight in the entire manor, due to its wide windows, so he walked into the room determined to draw them open once more. He got closer to the walls and stretched out his arm to find a curtain, and when his fingers brushed velvet he grabbed a fistful of cloth and pulled.

The sunlight poured in and revealed a room decorated in cream tones and dark wood accents. The fleeting thought that his parents were rather fond of wooden floors crossed his mind, for some reason, and he shook his head to clear it. His parents' preferences in indoor decoration should be the last thing in his mind at this moment.

He continued pulling curtains, all a rich Ravenclaw blue colour, until the room was completely illuminated. On a far wall rested the cases of a cello, a violin, and an acoustic guitar. In the centre of the room stood a proud black piano covered in a thick layer of dust, waiting to be used again.

Of all her instruments, the piano had been Sam's favourite, and she had taught Jack a little about how to play it when she had been alive.

Slowly, almost as if he were afraid, he approached the piano and pulled out his wand. He pointed it at the layer of dust and concentrated real hard.

"_Evanesco!_"

Jack's eyes widened when the dust disappeared into thin air. He'd done it! He'd really cast a successful vanishing spell!

He swept a hand over the now clean surface until his fingertips reached the keys. He sat down on the stool and put his wand away.

His fingers brushed the black and white keys.

He began to play.

**--**

"Mom! Dad!" called Kristy, running down the stairs. "It came! It came! It's here!"

"What's here, sweetie?" called her mother from the kitchen.

"My letter!" cried Kristy excitedly, running into the kitchen. "My Hogwarts letter!"

Megan whirled around to face her daughter and broke into a manic grin when she saw the thick parchment in the girl's hands. Written on the front with bright emerald ink was the text:

_**Miss Kristen A. Black**_

_**Room facing the garden**_

_**No. 7 Tirsford Crescent**_

_**Old Belwood**_

"This is amazing!" cried the Black matriarch. "Have you opened it yet?"

Kristy shook her head. "No, I haven't. I wanted to open it with you and Dad. Where is he?"

"I'm here! I'm here!" cried Sirius as he pelted into the kitchen, almost crashing into his wife. "Open it, kiddo!"

Kristy shuddered a little with anticipation and broke the seal on the parchment before pulling out a thick sheet of parchment. "_Dear Miss Black_," she read. "_We are pleased to inform you, you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_!" She broke into a grin and couldn't help hopping a little. She ran through the rest of the letter, admired her train ticket and scanned the list of materials. She frowned with amusement when she noticed that one Gilderoy Lockhart had written most of the books on her list.

"Gilderoy Lockhart?" she said, smirking but wrinkling her nose. "What kind of a name is Gilderoy Lockhart? Who is he?"

"Bunch of crackpot," answered Sirius right away.

Megan swatted his shoulder. "Don't be so mean, Sirius. Lockhart's fat, blond head might be empty but his books do have real basis."

"Pish-posh," insisted Sirius.

"Oh, hush you," said Megan reproachfully.

Kristy cleared her throat. "So who _is _Gilderoy Lockhart?"

Sirius shrugged. "Some wizard that's travelled a lot and for some reason has women throwing themselves at his feet. Horrible taste if you ask me."

Megan chuckled. "Well, he is good-looking."

"Oh, sure," agreed Sirius with a sniff. "If you like peacocks."

Megan shook her head and turned back to her daughter. "Your dad's just jealous that another wizard gets as much attention as him for his looks."

Sirius let out an indignant gasp. "I am not that superficial!"

"Could have fooled me," shrugged the elder redhead with a smirk.

Kristy shook her head at her parents and decided it was time to flee the scene when her father wrapped his arms around her mother's waist. She mumbled something about telling Orion the news and ran away as fast as her legs could carry her.

'_Ew,' _she thought as she climbed the stairs. _'Thank Merlin they didn't kiss.'_

She had nothing against her parents being _sweet_ to each other, but it was definitely something she did not want to see. _'I mean… they're my parents!'_

"Hey, Orion! Check this out!" she called down the hallway.

Her brother's black-haired head poked from his room. "What?"

In response, she waved the letter in front of his nose and his eyes went wide.

"Let me see! Let me see! Mum, Dad! Kristy got her letter!"

Kristy laughed at her brother's excitement and gave the letter to him. "They already saw it, dummy. By the looks on their faces, I think we'll be going to Diagon Alley soon."

Orion nodded as he read through the parchment. "I suppose Ginny got hers, too and, oh _man_, I wanna go to Hogwarts!" he moaned.

Kristy shook her head. "Give it two years, Orion."

"Two years is too long a time to wait," he complained to her. "I wanna go now!"

"I can send all of my homework to you if you like," offered Kristy with a small shrug. "That way you can start warming up to school."

Orion blanched. "No thanks. I think I'll wait for my turn."

Kristy gave him a triumphant grin and took her letter from him. "Good boy. Now run off, because I got to tell Harry about this."

Orion stuck his tongue out at her. "Spoilsport."

Kristy smirked and continued walking down the hall until she got to her room, where her blue journal was waiting to communicate her with Harry. He might have gotten his letter, as well, though he would be going to second year.

She closed her door behind her and threw her letter on her bed before sitting down in front of her desk. Her grey and white cat, Narya, meowed from her basket and Kristy threw a glance at her.

"Hello there, Narya," she cooed. "We'll be going away to a big, beautiful castle soon, just you and me," she told her.

Narya began licking her paws in response and Kristy chuckled. Her gaze settled on the blue collar clasped around the cat's neck and she sighed. She was thankful she had listened to Daniel McKnight last Christmas. Narya was a sweet cat, and her white paws that looked like socks often captured Kristy's attention. Her cat was a beautiful animal.

The redhead sighed and turned around in her chair. She reached out for her journal and her favourite quill –she loved how the ink flowed from its tip- and began to write a message for her best friend.

It turned out Harry's letter hadn't arrived yet, because his birthday was July 31st, so in order to go to Diagon Alley as a group they had to wait for another month. Kristy's home had been their 'headquarters' that summer, so now that it was August the group could finally assemble before the Blacks' fireplace to leave for Diagon Alley, where they would meet Hermione and her parents to buy supplies.

Flourish and Blotts was more crowded than usual, and only going in did they discover why. Harry, Kristy, Ron, Ginny and Hermione –who had been introduced to Kristy and Ginny earlier- squeezed their way into the shop and found Kristy's mother waving at them.

"Come on, everyone," she called over the bustle around them. "Get your books so we can get out of here faster."

They saw Mrs. Weasley shoot her a reproachful look before returning to staring at the back of the shop. There, there was a blond man with a dazzling smile, holding up a set of books and waving at cameras.

"Who's that?" asked Harry with a small frown.

"Yeah," agreed Ron, looking distastefully at the man. "Why's he got so much attention?"

"That's Gilderoy Lockhart!" squealed Hermione. "We'll actually get to meet him in person!"

Kristy's eyes widened. "_That's _Gilderoy Lockhart? The guy who wrote all of our books?"

Ginny sighed. "He didn't only write them, Kristy, he actually did all of the stuff that's written on them."

"Isn't this great?" cried Hermione with a dreamy look on her face.

Ron sighed. "You know, Hermione, if I didn't know you better I'd say you were crushing on him."

Hermione turned pink. "Of course not, Ronald! How can you say something like that?"

Ron exchanged a look with Harry before they both laughed.

"You guys are terrible," scolded Kristy, swatting their arms. "Come on, Hermione, let's get away from these two."

Hermione shot them a reproachful look before both Ginny and Kristy grabbed her arms and led her away into the crowd.

"Those two," huffed Ginny. "Boys, after all."

"I know," agreed Hermione, once the two redheads let go of her arms. "They have no sense at all."

Kristy shrugged. "They behave like five-year-olds, I know. You'll get used to their antics after a while. It's a good thing Orion went with Uncle James to see the Quidditch shop."

"Who's Orion?" asked Hermione, as she reached out for _The Standard Book of Spells Grade Two_.

"My little brother," replied Kristy, glancing at her list. "Where are the Gilderoy Lockhart books, anyway?"

"Looks like my Mum already found them," answered Ginny, peeking at her mother through the crowd. "She's in the queue. Shall we go?"

The other two girls nodded and followed the younger redhead across the shop. When they got there, they found that Harry and Ron had had the same idea and were standing close to Megan and Mrs. Weasley. Ron was complaining about some photographer standing on his foot.

The commotion also drew Lockhart's attention to them and his blue eyes settled on the only black-haired boy among them.

"Could it possibly be _Harry Potter?_" he cried over the noise.

An awed silence descended on the crowd and Harry fought the urge to slap his forehead. What was the point of surviving the Killing curse if he was going to get trampled by celebrities anyway?

Lockhart reached out for him and the photographer pushed Ron away a second time. Kristy did her best not to giggle at Harry's horror-struck face.

"Smile for the camera, Harry," Lockhart was saying. "You and me together, we'll make the front page for sure."

Harry was desperately trying to get away from Lockhart, but the man insisted on clamping him to his side. If his father or Sirius ever heard about this he would never hear the end of it.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" called Lockhart waving for the crowd to be silent. "I feel this is the perfect time for an announcement I've been sitting on for a while."

The crowd quieted down right away and Kristy had to marvel at the man's skills. She was never good in front of a crowd.

"When young Harry Potter stepped into this shop, he never imagined he would walk out with my complete collection of books," he said, dropping a heavy stack of books on Harry's arms, "free of charge."

The crowd clapped politely and a camera snapped somewhere. Kristy rolled her eyes, but clapped out of politeness nonetheless.

"Also, he never imagined that he and all of his classmates would step out of here with the real magical me, for I've accepted the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry!"

At this announcement, the crowd not only clapped but cheered as well. Hermione's face was glowing.

"He's going to be our professor!" she was saying, clapping beside Mrs. Weasley who looked very excited. Megan looked fairly impressed.

When Lockhart finally let Harry go, the boy stumbled a little under the weight of the books but made it safely back to his family.

"Here, Ginny," he whispered to her, dropping his books inside of her new cauldron. "You can have these. I can buy my own."

Ginny smiled up at him. "Thanks, Harry."

The rest of the day went smoothly, and so the group met back at the Leaky Cauldron with the other half of the group. Lily, James, Ethan, Sirius, Orion, Mr. Weasley and the eldest Weasley children were already waiting for them when Harry and the rest got there. James was holding a polishing kit for Harry's Nimbus.

They exchanged stories and, to Harry's dismay, Ron mentioned the Lockhart incident that had James and Sirius howling with laughter at poor Harry's predicament. Then Mrs. Weasley mentioned how Harry had given his free books to Ginny while stroking his hair fondly and his ears went pink.

"It was nothing," he was saying. "Really."

Lily beamed at him but James and Sirius nudged his ribs, and sniggered while commenting something about a knight in shining armour. A very pink Harry wanted to kill them.

With the day coming to a close, each family began leaving for their own home, but before Kristy threw a pinch of Floo Powder into the fireplace she noticed that Harry had taken of his glasses. She laughed. Harry had had another little accident with the Floo network when they had left for Diagon Alley, and had ended up in Knockturn Alley instead.

His glasses had been broken when he had found them again, so maybe Harry was learning.

With a smile she threw her powder into the fire and stepped into the fireplace before calling "Number Seven Tirsford Crescent!" and disappearing in a whirlwind of green flames.

**--**

**A/N: **7521 words this chapter… it wasn't supposed to be this long, but one thing led to another and _meh _next chapter we get to see the Sorting!


	23. Back Again

On the other side of the world, however, things weren't running quite as smoothly

**A/N: **Closer and closer with each chapter… I've already started on the next one, but my 5000-word-writer's-block came back, much to my chagrin. Ironically, I feel like I'm speeding up too much, and this chapter ended up longer than usual. It's probably the longest chapter to date with its 8800 words or so… there was just too much to tell!!

**Chapter 22 - ****Back Again**

--

On the other side of the world things weren't running quite as smoothly.

Jack Riddle read yet again through the letter he held in his hands. It wasn't directed to him. It was directed to his father, Tom Riddle, the Violet Key's ex-Keeper. The letter had been written by Ingoldstadt's temporary Headmistress and DADA teacher, Nyah Rego: a powerful black woman with light green eyes who liked putting Jack through his paces. The letter had delivered a hard blow to the Riddle family; in her letter, Nyah explained to Tom that Durza had murdered her predecessor, Headmaster Illau Taue.

Sighing, Jack left the letter on top of his father's desk. He had known Taue briefly during the first term of his first year at Ingoldstadt, and had come to like the black man. He had been an incredible Headmaster, fair to everyone and wise beyond his years, an acquaintance of his father's. More than that, he and the now deceased Headmaster had been fellow Key Keepers.

Jack frowned worriedly as he felt his stomach clench in fear. The letter said that the Shade Durza was responsible for the murder… that could only mean that now Durza had a new body and had in his possession the Red, Orange and Yellow Keys. His father had in a way saved the Red Keystone from the Shade, but as far as the Riddles knew the Keystone was still in Albus Dumbledore's possession. The boy frowned. Better the meddling old goat than a bloodthirsty Shade.

He sat back in his father's armchair and closed his eyes, trying to imagine what life would be like in Ingoldstadt without Taue. There would be a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, that was for sure. Nyah had been the previous teacher and also Deputy Headmistress, so she had covered for Taue but never left her post. Now that Taue was gone she would probably become Headmistress. He would miss her classes.

On the other hand, life had almost returned to normal already. Maggie and Alfred were both back, bickering all the time… and Nina was starting to get the hang of things. It turned out she had never had a master before, so at first she forgot where she left some things, or forgot about dusting a room, or stalked Jack waiting for orders. She had also stalked Tom, at first, but then he had snapped at her and now Jack was stuck with the little house elf.

His solution to the problem was giving Nina a hobby.

He had begun teaching her how to read, and she was an avid student. Nina didn't want to disappoint her young Master so she practiced every waking moment of the day. Their library probably housed a thousand books, so she would never get bored. Nor Jack for that matter, because reading was one of his passions.

And speaking of passions, he would have to go to Downtown soon. His Ingoldstadt letter had arrived, and with it a new list of books he would need for second year. To Jack's dismay, he would have to bear with his Maths teacher –Professor Obex- for yet another year before he could enrol in Arithmancy class. The very thought made him scowl. He wished he could take an instrument with him to Ingoldstadt, because they were wonderful stress relievers; however, so far he had only played the piano a couple of times and was still in the process of getting the hang of it. He had no idea how his mother did it.

A small knock on the door brought him out of his musings.

"Yes?' he called.

The door creaked open and Maggie peeked into the room. She was an elderly woman with grey hair and warm brown eyes. She was so short Jack would probably reach her height in a couple of years, but her size certainly didn't stop her from being like the stern grandmother he never had.

"Your father requests your presence, Master Jack," she informed him in her soft voice with a slight smile. "He's waiting for you in the Meeting Room, and he also said he would rather you left his study alone."

Jack grimaced. "Figures… he never did like it when I spent time in here," he muttered, looking around. "Do you know what he wants me for?"

Maggie shrugged. "He merely called for you."

The boy nodded. "Alright then. I'll just tidy up in here."

"No need master!" cried a third voice.

Jack and Maggie both jumped at the loud _pop_ and the squeaky voice that followed. Nina was standing in the middle of the room, giving Jack a toothy grin.

"Nina!" cried Jack with his fingernails still impaled in the armchair's armrests. "Stop doing that!"

Maggie had a hand over her heart. "I agree with the young Master, Nina. It certainly isn't necessary to pop in and out of thin air when we least expect it."

Nina looked at both of them with wide grey eyes. "I is sorry, Master. I did not mean to startles you, Master."

"Huh," said Jack with a sigh, not convinced.

"Is Master needing Nina's help, Sir?" the elf asked innocently.

Jack grimaced. "It's alright Nina. Just a letter that I have to put in a drawer, nothing big," he told her. He just didn't have the heart to tell her that his father wasn't very fond of the idea of an inexperienced house elf going through his possessions.

Nina seemed disappointed. "Alright, Master," she said in a small voice, yet she brightened up right away. "Nina is going back to the library then, Master. Nina found a very nice book she wants to reads."

"That's good, Nina," said Maggie with an amused smile. "You go and tackle that book."

Nina shot her a confused stare. "But Nina doesn't want to the tackle the book, miss… Nina wants to read it," she explained, looking bewildered before disappearing with another _pop_ that made both humans flinch.

"Charming elf," commented Jack after a short pause.

Maggie sighed. "She is, indeed."

Jack chuckled weakly as he reached out for the letter he had been reading. The loss of Headmaster Taue suddenly fell on him again and he felt really old, like a huge weight was holding him down. He returned the letter to its envelope and placed the envelope in one of the desk's many drawers before he stood up and went to Maggie. She opened the door a little wider to let him through and then closed it behind them.

Jack thanked her and began walking down the hall. He had always being a polite boy.

Maggie watched him go with sad eyes. He was so different now… it was as if the young Master she used to know had been exchanged for another boy. He was quieter now, but always alert. He had yet to play a prank on Alfred, or climb the roof, or leave the house to explore the forest. But then again, his two childhood friends were in England now, his mother was gone, and he had had to survive on his own for the last three years. Yet, he was alive and well and willing to move on.

That was all she could ask for.

She sighed and began walking to her quarters. Even the house seemed different, somehow. Ever since the Mistress had died their lives had taken a wrong turn, and only now were they beginning to realize they needed to turn around. No longer did Miss Ravine's music fill the halls, no longer did Jack and Audrey run around plotting new ways to prank Alfred with while Chantal trailed after them, no longer did the Dark Lord speak or talk to them unless he needed to.

The times were grey at best, and she hoped they could lighten up soon. Even the bad jokes the Lestrange brothers used to crack would bring some cheer back to the house; but they were in Azkaban now, and little Chantal had been entrusted to the Malfoys, the poor girl.

Maggie stopped in front of her door and sighed with exasperation. She wished the young Master could grow up faster and fall in love with some girl. '_That would certainly make things a lot more interesting, no doubt_,' she though with a soft laugh, before stepping into her quarters and settling for a short nap.

--

Time was going by very fast in Kristy's opinion, considering she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter over a month ago and that the Express would be leaving for Hogwarts the very next morning. That was the thought that wouldn't leave her mind even though she was having a conversation with Harry through their journals.

They would meet at Platform 9 and ¾, the Weasleys, the Potters, the Grangers and the Blacks. She was especially excited because just a week before, her cousin Luke Auvrea had owled them with the news that he would be joining them at the Platform the 1st of September as a first year, since he was still missing some groundwork. His parents were still a bit reluctant to let him go, but their grandfather was backing him up, so Luke's parents had no choice but to agree.

Kristy left her journal over the bedside table for a moment before she began pulling clothes from her drawers. Her mother had made her pack tonight so there would be no rush in the morning, like there usually was at the Weasleys'. Her father had bought her a trunk with two compartments, one for clothes and one for books. If she opened the lock on the left she would find her clothes, but if she opened the lock on the right she would find her books. It was dead useful.

At the moment, Narya was sniffing her cloaks and winter garments stored at the very bottom of the trunk, so Kristy had to fish her out before she continued packing. Her brand new books were on top of her desk winking at her every now and then, since she had saved the excitement of packing them for last.

Finally, her clothes were neatly folded and stored away in her trunk. She admired her handiwork for a moment before closing the lid and opening the second lock. The empty space glared up at her and she sighed. _More work_.

A small knock distracted her from her task.

"Come in!" she called.

The door opened and in stepped Sirius with a small grin on his face.

"How's my girl?" he asked sweetly, leaning on the doorframe. Kristy beamed at her father.

"I can't wait until tomorrow," she replied brightly. "I can't believe I'm actually going to board the train this time!"

Sirius let out his infamous bark-like laugh. "Neither can I, Hun. Why, it was only yesterday that you were a baby!"

Kristy laughed. "Oi, come on, Dad. I'm ten!"

"And I'm proud of you, kiddo," replied Sirius, making Kristy blush. Sirius chuckled at her expression and walked up to her to gather her in his arms. "I'm really very proud of you, Kristen," he repeated, before kissing the top of her head.

Kristy smiled in her father's arms and hugged him back. "And I'm going to miss you, Dad. All of you."

Sirius gave her a squeeze. "And we're all going to miss you, too. Make sure you write every day, got it?"

The girl nodded and disentangled herself from her father's embrace. "But you've got to write to me, too."

Her father grinned at her. "We sure will, silly head. How would we ever cope if we didn't?" he asked playfully, tickling her in the process.

Kristy shrieked and jumped away from him. "Don't, Dad! No tickles please!" she begged, but she was smiling.

Sirius smirked mischievously. "Is that so?" he said with an odd twinkle in his eyes that told Kristy she wouldn't be spared.

Kristy tried to run away but Sirius was too fast for her and pinned her to the bed, tickling her mercilessly. Both father and daughter lost track of how long they spent fooling around, enjoying their last night together before she had to leave for Hogwarts. At some point, Kristy tried to get back to packing her books, but when Orion joined the fray she decided the effort just wasn't worth it and proceeded to team up with her brother and pummel their father with tickles.

The next morning found them sprawled over Kristy's queen-sized bed breathing deeply. Well, Orion was snoring softly. His legs were resting over Sirius' stomach and his head on Kristy's shoulder, but it didn't seemed to bother her because she hadn't stirred awake.

That was how Megan found them when she went to wake them up, lest they be late. She had no trouble rousing Kristy, but the Black men were much more stubborn when it came to getting up in the mornings.

Several showers, breakfast and a few cups of coffee later, the Black family was completely awake and ready to leave for King's Cross Station. Kristy had scouted her room one last time before closing the lid of her trunk and dragging it down the stairs, where Sirius was waiting to store it in their car's trunk. The Weasleys and Potters were probably on their ways to the Station already, as Megan reminded them as she ushered them all into the red vehicle.

They drove for quite a while before they reached London, but to Kristy it felt like a moment, and before she was completely ready she found herself pushing a trolley ahead of her loaded with her trunk and Narya's carrier. They ran into the Potters on their way to the Platform and Harry immediately began telling Kristy all sorts of stories about the Hogwarts Express. He told her to beware of Malfoy and his goons, to keep an eye out for the lady with the trolley and to be ready for a very long journey.

Kristy couldn't wait.

Next issue that arose was Kristy's sorting, which had them arguing even after they'd crossed the barrier. Orion thought it'd be cool if Kristy ended up in Slytherin, because then he would be able to tease her mercilessly for the rest of their lives. Harry, James and Sirius agreed Kristy was better suited for Gryffindor, but Lily and Megan (always the diplomats) informed them that it didn't matter which house Kristy was sorted into, because she had qualities of all four and she would excel in any Hogwarts House. That was about the time they spotted two strawberry-blond heads and a redhead among the crowd, admiring the scarlet train.

"It's Luke!" cried Orion, sprinting in his cousin's direction. "He's here!"

Kristy turned her head to her brother's target and recognized Neddia's hair right away. It took her longer to recognize Luke because he'd cut his hair to seem more human and less elf. She chuckled at that. She also noticed that her uncle didn't seem to be around, but her aunt was right there beside her children.

From a distance, they watched Orion tackle Luke and heard Neddia shriek in surprise. Orion had that effect on people.

"I suggest we say hello and then grab a compartment," said Harry, nudging Kristy forward. "Or we'll find everything full and we still need to save seats for Ron, Hermione and Ginny."

Kristy took a nervous breath and nodded, deciding that following Harry's advice was the best course of action. Harry laughed at the look on her face and led her forward. Orion whirled around to meet them with a huge grin on his face.

"There you are!" he cried. "Luke's completely lost!"

"I'm not!" protested the older boy, also turning around to meet them.

His older sister rolled her eyes. "Lukan, you were. You have no idea what to do from this point on."

Luke scowled at her but it seemed she had won this round because he didn't retaliate.

Kristy greeted her aunt right before the adults caught up with them carrying Paige and Ethan, who were looking around with slightly frightened looks on their faces. Harry, Kristy and Luke sneaked away from the adults the first chance they got and climbed into the train with their trunks.

"Where are your red-haired friends?" asked Luke at last, noticing the absence of the siblings.

"Not here yet," replied Harry. "They're usually just in time," he added with a grin.

"Fashionably late is another term for it," quipped Kristy, looking around the train in awe. "Oh, here!" she said suddenly. "This one's empty!"

Harry laughed at her excitement yet again, and Kristy wryly thought her friend was in a particular good mood this morning. They piled their trunks in a corner of the compartment and were about to leave the train when they bumped into Ron, Ginny and Hermione.

"Hey," called Ron, waving at them amidst the students roaming the corridor. "Your mum said you'd gone to find a compartment. The train is about to leave."

They were dragging their trunks behind them with some difficulty because of the number of people around them, but eventually caught up with Harry, Luke and Kristy.

"Yeah, we found a compartment back there," replied Harry, pointing his thumb over his shoulder. "Come on, we'll show you."

So they went back to their compartment and loaded all of their trunks in the luggage rack, instead of just piling them up like before. They left the train to say good-bye to their parents before the train departed, and things got a little awkward when Luke said good-bye to his family. With all the tension in the air, Mrs. Weasley made the mistake of kissing Orion good-bye when the boy wouldn't be leaving for Hogwarts that year, and Orion went _very _red.

The Weasley twins began making fun of the poor kid before Percy huffed at them both and very self-importantly stepped into the train ("Prefects must be inside," he'd said. "This year we're in charge of watching over the new prefects because they lack the experience.")

Sirius hugged Kristy last, still laughing himself silly at his son's embarrassment, and wished her the best year, to study hard and to never stop pranking or he would disown her. Megan had sent him an exasperated look but Sirius brushed it off.

When the whistle began to blow, students of all ages began hoping into the train and settling on windows to wave to their families. Mrs. Weasley ushered them all inside lest the train leave one of them. Harry barely managed to give Lily a last kiss and his father a brief hug before Ron grabbed a fistful of his robes and pulled him into the train, grumbling about the lack of space inside the carriages. Harry fought him, wanting to hold back to ruffle his baby brother's black hair, making Ron growl at him.

"Bye-bye, Ethan," he said cheerfully. The almost-one-year-old gurgled happily at his big brother and batted his fists in the air. "I'll take that as a good-bye, then," said Harry with a laugh, taking Kristy's wrist and pulling her into the train.

Kristy followed him with a slight blush into the packed carriage but managed to weave her way into an open window. The whistle blew another time before the train began sliding out of the station and Orion, as was his custom, started running after it waving at his friends and sister until the train turned at a corner and they couldn't see each other anymore.

--

Jack woke up on the first of September having mixed feelings about leaving for school. On one hand, he would see his friends again –them living in other countries was certainly unhelpful when it came to hanging out- and he got to see Ingoldstadt castle again, and Ayax, and he would have new classes. On the other, he had missed his home, his father, Maggie and Alfred, and having to leave them for a whole semester wasn't very appealing.

However, since he had absolutely no choice in the matter he settled for a bittersweet start of classes and got out of bed. His trunk was packed, his brand new books secure inside, and Horus was sleeping in his cage, so he really didn't have anything to worry about that morning but a shower, breakfast and arriving early at Port Aquila because –as a second year- it would now be his responsibility to guide an ickle firstie around.

He stretched out and went about his morning routine like he always did. He tucked his wand into his robes –his father had scared him into carrying it everywhere he went- and had a short breakfast while making small conversation with Maggie, the only occupant of the kitchen. His father was nowhere to be seen.

"Have you seen Dad?" he asked her.

Maggie raised an eyebrow at him. "I haven't, Master Jack, no. But I think you should stop calling him that or he'll burn your ears off."

Jack scoffed. "He wouldn't."

Maggie's second eyebrow joined the first.

"Really!" insisted Jack, but he sounded a lot less sure this time.

The woman shook her head at him and went back to her dishes. "You should bring down your school things, Master. I may have not seen your father but I'm sure he will take you to Port Aquila soon."

Jack nodded at her and left the kitchen. He was surprised to glimpse his trunk already downstairs, along with his falcon's cage. He was even more surprised when he almost walked into his father and found the man slightly scowling down at him.

"Watch where you're going, brat," he growled, sidestepping his son. "Say your good-byes, we're leaving in five minutes. Unless you want to be late, that is?"

Jack didn't even get the chance to reply because Tom was already climbing the staircase on the left –there were two curved staircases in the foyer of Riddle Manor- and disappeared from sight. Jack blinked in shock and went back to the kitchen, knowing Maggie would still be there.

He said good-bye to her, and told her to say good-bye to Alfred from him, in case he didn't get to see the butler. Nina heard that Jack was leaving and latched herself to his knees and began sobbing –to his horror.

"Nina's going to miss Master so much!" she cried, hugging him tightly.

Jack sighed. "Yes Nina, I'll- I'll miss you, too."

Nina couldn't take it anymore and began crying in earnest. Jack sent Maggie a desperate look, begging her to help him out of his predicament. Maggie did so, trying to comfort the small elf, but laughing at her young Master who was absolutely hopeless when it came down to someone crying on him.

"Pick up the pace, brat!" came Tom's voice from the foyer. "We're leaving."

Jack waved at the two females in the kitchen and hurried to the entrance to meet his father. He was shrinking the trunk to pocket size and threw it at Jack when it was small enough. Jack caught it easily and put it away in his robes' pocket.

Tom beckoned him forward. "Come on. I'll Apparate us there."

"Bit impatient, aren't we?" asked Jack with a smirk. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you're dying to get rid of me."

"As far as you know," answered Tom cryptically, reaching out for Jack's shoulder and Disapparating an instant later. They materialized again in one of Port Aquila's Apparating points in the midst of a crowd with the salty sea breeze blowing on their faces. Jack had to lower his face right away to avoid being recognized; he didn't have Tom's luxury of no one knowing what he looked like, because Jack's face had been all over the news the year before.

"I don't remember the port being so crowded before," gasped Jack, almost bumping into someone as they made their way to the big white ship with its sails unfurled: _The White Dragon_.

Tom laughed at him. "Peaceful times, brat. Peace brings tourism. Use your head."

Jack scoffed. "It was just an observation," he called over the noise, annoyed that Tom was making fun of him yet again. How on earth had Sam ever put up with him? Maybe it was true that love drove you insane…

When they were close enough to the ramp that let up to the ship, Tom pushed Jack forward and fell back. Jack turned around with wide eyes.

"What? Just like that? No good-byes, no 'have a good year, study hard', no 'be a bad boy', no _nothing_?" he asked, perplexed.

Tom rolled his eyes. "Don't get all teary eyed on me, brat. I'll see you in December. We've been apart for longer, is it really necessary to say good-bye?"

Jack thought about his father's words and frowned. "Hades, I hate you."

"And what did Hades ever do to you, I ask?" asked Tom, unable to resist.

Jack let out a strangled cry of frustration. "Alright then, I'm off!" he announced, turning his back on his father. "I have to look for my minions anyway."

Tom couldn't hold back a chuckle. "_Minions_?" he called. '_Maybe I'm rubbing off on him…' _he thought with no small amount of amusement.

"Also known as friends," Jack called back, looking over his shoulder.

"Just get the hell out of here," Tom told him, shaking his head with either exasperation or amusement. Jack bet on the latter.

Jack grinned cheekily at his father as farewell and took no time to get lost in the crowd. Blending in was one of his talents.

"Kenichi's is not," he mumbled to himself, noticing a bright orange head among blacks and browns, and recognizing it as his best friend's. He elbowed his way to the Japanese boy and smacked his head when he was close enough.

Kenichi Oosaki whirled around to confront his abuser, but when he saw it was only Jack he brightened up and laughed. "Daniel-san! I was looking for you. We need to get on the ship and find out who we're guiding. I saw Ralph a while ago, but he's already on the ship."

Jack smirked. "Hello to you, too, Kenichi. Nice to see you remember my name."

Kenichi swatted a hand at him and began pulling him along. Jack protested at first, but the glint in Kenichi's eyes told him his protests would not be taken into consideration, so Jack resigned himself to his fate. The Japanese boy sped up the ramp to the ship and weaved through the small crowd of students, seemingly knowing where he was going. After a moment, Jack knew, too.

"Took you long enough!" called a familiar voice, coming from a familiar face.

"The world is full of loving people today," muttered Jack wryly. "Nice to see you too, Ralph."

Ralph Bloor, another one of Jack's friends, cousin and another heir of Slytherin, waved at them as he approached them. "Sorry about that. Been waiting for a while, is all. How did summer go, _Daniel_?"

Jack groaned. "Please stop calling me that. I happen to like being called _Jack_."

"Beats the purpose of the second identity, doesn't it, Dead-san?" asked Kenichi with a cheeky grin.

"Do you have a death wish, Oosaki?" Jack asked casually.

Kenichi shrugged. "Not particularly."

"Oosaki!"

The three boys turned around and started at the sight of their Headmistress heading towards them.

"Yes, Professor?" replied Kenichi with a slight tremor of uncertainty in his voice.

"I suppose you know you will be guiding your sister the first weeks?"

The Japanese boy blinked as the other two boys gave him looks. "Do I?"

The Headmistress rolled her eyes. "Bloor, you get to give a boy his tour," continued Nyah, assuming Kenichi had already grasped the nature of his task. "His name is Duncan Sterling and he comes from the States. I'm sorry about not finding a kid that has something in common with you… will it be a problem?"

Ralph shrugged, confused. "I don't see why it should. Professor, why are you-"

Nyah gave him a stern nod. "I'm pleased to see you agree with me. Not that it would matter if you didn't, but it makes my job easier."

Ralph gave her an open-mouthed stare. "What do you mean it doesn't matter if I disagree?" he cried, forgetting about asking why the Headmistress was aboard the _White Dragon_. "Don't I have an opinion?"

Nyah ignored him. "Riddle, you will be showing Ivy Draven around," she said. "She's from Ebur as well, so she should take to you pretty fast. Not to mention, you're cute."

"_WHAT?_"

Kenichi and Ralph roared with laughter.

"I'm not _cute_!"

Nyah ruffled his jet-black hair. "Of course not. You're a pale shrimp, which in this context means 'Adonis in the making'."

"Who's Adonis?"

"Study mythology, Riddle."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, blowing a strand of black hair off his ice blue eyes.

Nyah grinned at him, trying to hide a snicker. "I'll see you at school, boys."

Kenichi and Ralph waved good-bye with big grins on their faces, while Jack glared at the woman.

"I'm not cute…" he growled under his breath.

"Shut up, Adonis," teased Kenichi.

"You know who he is?" asked Jack, trying to hide the hopeful look on his face and failing.

Kenichi sniggered. "Yup. And I'm not telling."

Jack growled. "Die."

The other boy laughed. "One day."

Jack was about to strangle him, but Tancred's arrival stopped him. He was walking beside Nora and a younger girl they hadn't seen before.

"Hullo, peeps! Had a good summer?" greeted Tancred. He pushed the young girl forward so she was standing before them. Like Tancred's, her hair was sandy blonde but she had olive green eyes. "This is my little sister Olivia. She's starting this year."

"Um… hi," she mumbled shyly.

"Hey, Olivia," said the Japanese boy. "I'm Kenichi."

"Ralph," said Ralph.

"I'm Jack," said Jack with a smirk.

"Oh I-I know who _you_ are," she stammered with a nervous smile and a small blush.

The Dark Heir tilted his head with amusement and shot her a heart-melting smile when he noticed the slight blush on the Canadian girl's cheeks. "Really?"

Nora scoffed and swatted him over the head with her hand. "Who are you going to show around, anyway?" she asked, to save her little sister from the embarrassment of dealing with the flirty Prince of Darkness.

Jack shrugged. "Some girl called Ivy Draven," he replied.

"I'm showing my sister around," answered Kenichi. "She's saying good-bye to my dad right now."

Nora nodded. "You, Ralph?

"Some kid called Duncan Sterling," he said with a shrug. "Nyah said he comes from the States."

"Then what are you doing on deck?" Nora cried suddenly. "You should be on the ramp, looking out for your charges!"

The three boys exchanged swift glances and scampered out of Nora's sight. She was like a big sister to all of them. A very bossy big sister.

Tancred left his little sister in charge of Nora and jogged after them. He tapped Jack's shoulder and matched the Dark boy's stride.

"Ollie likes you," he stated.

Jack did a double take. "Wait… who's Ollie and why does she like me?"

Tancred rolled his eyes at him. "You're a bit slow aren't you, Jackie? Ollie as in Olivia! And she likes you because you're…. likeable?"

Kenichi and Ralph shared a look. "Adonis!" they cried at the same time, before collapsing into a fit of giggles.

Jack growled and hit them both on the back of their heads.

"Adonis?" said Tancred, scratching the back of his head.

"Never mind," muttered Jack darkly.

The four reached the ramp and stood by Neema, an Egyptian girl in their year, who was also standing on the ramp waiting for her charge.

"Hey guys!" she greeted them. "How was your summer?"

"Ohayou, Neema-san," replied Kenichi with a bright smile. "Mine was good. My sister was invited to school."

Jack waved at Neema and leaned on the railing, listening to his friends chat. He looked down at the people crowded around the ship, saying their good-byes to their children. He smiled. He had a parent to say good-bye to now.

"Hello, Riddle," called a newcomer.

Jack turned around slightly and saw another one of his schoolmates: Otieno Khatabi, from Algeria. Jack returned the greeting and noticed Zoé Dubois from France was tagging along. Zoé had never been much of a talker, so she contented herself with nodding at him in greeting. Jack nodded back.

A girl began to climb the ramp, followed by a younger boy that was calling her name. Her hair was light brown and her skin was olive. She was wearing a light blue cloak and jeans. She had a nice face, a small nose, rosy lips… all in all a cute young girl. Jack, being only 11, did not see her like that. To him, she was just another girl like the many others he already knew.

"Draven?" he called at her, tilting his head.

She lifted her blue-grey eyes to his face and then turned around slightly to look at the other boy. He resembled her, which told Jack that they were probably brother and sister. Little did Jack know that in just a few years that boy would come to loathe him with a passion for reasons that had nothing to do with Jack being the Dark Heir.

But back in the present, the girl hugged her brother and waved good-bye to someone below. She sent her brother back and finished climbing the ramp, offering a smile to the black-haired boy when she finally stood before him.

Jack eyed her with a small frown. "Are you Ivy Draven?"

"I am," she replied, smirking at the look on his face. "Are you…?"

"Jack Riddle?" supplied Jack. "Yup. Not dead."

She laughed. A musical, pleasant kind of laugh. "Evidently."

Jack actually smiled. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning for her to go first.

Ivy smiled at Otieno and Zoé, and stepped into the ship. Kenichi, the most cordial of them all, grinned at her.

"Welcome to the _White Dragon, _Ivy-dono," he told her with a smile and a bow.

"Drop the _dono, _Oosaki," chided Ralph, aiming a kick at the Japanese boy but not actually kicking him. "You're going to make us look bad."

Kenichi just laughed and scratched the back of his head. Jack rolled his eyes at his friends.

"These are Kenichi Oosaki, Ralph Bloor, Tancred Torrson, Neema Hadji, Otieno Khatabi and Zoé Dubois," Jack told Ivy as an introduction. Each one of Jack's schoolmates waved or nodded when mentioned. "What do you say if I show you to the deck?" he offered. "These dorks can catch up later."

Ralph and Tancred sent him betrayed looks. Jack ignored them because Ivy was laughing.

"I'd like that, thank you," she replied, and Jack smiled at her.

"This way then," he said, motioning for her to follow him. He winked at Kenichi as he passed him and strolled down a corridor with Ivy beside him.

"So…" he said, his hands deep in his robes' pockets. "Was that your brother back there?"

"Who? Isaac?" she asked. "Yeah… he's ten."

Jack froze in mid-step. "Ten?"

Ivy looked at him strangely. "Yeah. Why?"

Jack tried to make his mouth work again. "I… no reason, really. It's just that I- _how old are you?_"

The girl laughed at him and Jack fumed. What about him was so amusing, exactly? First Maggie, then Tom, then Kenichi and Ralph, and now her too. What was the deal with everyone these days?

"I'm eleven," she replied. "Since last month. Why is my brother's age so surprising?"

Jack shrugged, trying to recover some of his lost dignity. "No reason. It's just that I was ten when I started school, is all."

Ivy smiled softly at him. "Born in winter?"

"January, actually," replied Jack. "I ushered in the New Year," he added with mock smugness.

She laughed, her expression of mirth turning into one of awe when Jack showed her into the ship's heart. The mix of cultures had also impressed him the first time.

"This is only a shortcut to the deck," explained Jack, leading the way. "It's also the nicest part of the ship."

Ivy could only nod. She followed him absentmindedly until they exited at the other side of the ship. The breeze had become a strong wind now, blowing their hair into their eyes. Jack was fighting with his bangs, which at the moment were intent on stinging his eyes.

"And this," he said, slapping a hand over his eyes to protect them, "is the reason why I'll never be an Airwielder."

Ivy gave him an incredulous look and pointed at her long hair, strands flying in every direction as if they had life of their own. She looked like Medusa. So much, in fact, that Jack had to laugh. He was surprised when Ivy joined in and began laughing at herself just as loud.

That was about the time Jack realized that he didn't mind her laughing at him so much anymore.

--

The train ride was long and uneventful, like Harry had said it would be. Neville had joined them halfway through the trip, and Malfoy had poked in to see who he could annoy, but other than that it was a quiet trip. Hermione was reading her schoolbooks, Ron and Harry taught Luke how to play Gobstones, Ginny slept, and Kristy read a novel while munching on chocolate frogs.

When it got dark, they changed into their black robes, and then the train began losing speed until it finally came to a jumpy halt at Hogsmeade station. They left all of their pets and luggage in the compartment and piled out of the train to Hagrid's "Firs' Years! Firs' Years over here!"

The group broke up and Kristy, Ginny and Luke followed the other first years into the traditional boat ride across the lake. They were joined by a very small boy named Colin Creevey, and all of them –even Kristy, though she'd seen it before- 'Aaahed' and 'Ooohed' at Hogwarts castle when they first laid eyes on it. Hagrid led them down a path and up a few steps, where a stern-looking witch was waiting for them.

"All yours, Professor McGonagall. None fell to ter lake this time," he added with a grin.

McGonagall hmmnd. "Very well. Thank you, Hagrid. I can take them from here."

Kristy watched Professor McGonagall for a moment and tried to remember what Harry had said about her. Transfiguration teacher, strict, fair. She could deal with that.

McGonagall proceeded to tell them about the Four Houses and the Sorting, as well as the feast and that everything was about to start. She allowed them entrance into the Great Hall and Kristy gasped. She had been to Hogwarts the year before, but she had only seen the grounds and Dumbledore's office. The Great Hall was amazing!

She tried avoiding the older students' stares, focusing instead on the ragged piece of cloth sitting on a tree-legged stool at the front of the Hall. There was silence and then gasps when the rag –which turned out to be an old wizard hat- actually began to sing.

The Hat ended its song to a round of applause from the inhabitants of the Great Hall and gave a small bow, seconds before McGonagall stood up and unfurled a list. "When I call your name, please step forward and I will place the hat on your head. You will then be sorted and join your housemates at your table."

The first years shifted.

"Auvrea, Luke!"

Luke let out a breath he had been holding and stepped forward.

"Good luck!" whispered Ginny.

Luke grinned at them nervously before turning around again. Professor McGonagall had her sharp brown eyes on him the whole way. The old hat wriggling in her grasp was not helping either.

After what felt like an eternity, Luke reached the three-legged stool and sat down on it. McGonagall set the hat on his head right away. Students all over the hall were leaning over to watch with mild interest for the hat's verdict.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"_Yes!_" hissed Kristy with a smile, watching her cousin leave the stool with a relieved smile. The Hall was clapping and cheering for him, and in the distance she could see Harry and Ron waving at Luke to attract his attention.

"He did it, huh?" Ginny told her with a grin. Kristy's smile widened before it faltered again.

"Might be my turn next," she whispered nervously. Ginny gave her a sympathetic grin.

"Baxter, Nicholas!"

Kristy sighed with relief. '_Not yet,' _she thought, watching a brunet boy walk to the stool. A minute and then…

"RAVENCLAW!"

The blue and bronze table went wild, welcoming their first new member with open arms.

"Black, Kristen!"

Kristy flinched as if she'd been scalded.

A slight murmur went through the Hall at once. It was no secret that the Blacks were a Dark family, with only Sirius turning out to be good.

"Oh, gawds…" she gasped, green eyes widening. Why did her surname have to start with a 'B'?

"Go, Kristy," urged Ginny, nudging her forward. "You'll be fine."

Kristy let out a strangled little whimper.

Professor McGonagall lifted the Sorting Hat and cast her an expectant look. The small redhead walked hesitantly towards her and sat on the tree-legged stool trying not to tremble. The Hat descended on her, blocking her view of the hundreds of faces watching.

"My, another Black," whispered a tiny voice in her head. "Mmm… there is a good spirit in you, however. Noble, brave, kind. Patient, and yet a temper to be feared if the tide is set loose. But… what is this? Subtly bending rules, half-truths? Manipulation? A bit Slytherin of you, my dear. Perhaps you would like to keep up tradition?"

"No!" thought Kristy. "Please no Black tradition for me."

"Are you sure?" asked the Hat annoyingly. "Not all Slytherins are bad. I should know. Slytherin will make you powerful and influential. You could turn the tide in your favour if you so wished to. Or perhaps… Ravenclaw would be better suited? Nice little head on your shoulders."

Kristy sighed with relief. At least they were past Slytherin. "Sounds better…" she thought.

"But?" prompted the Hat.

Kristy gave a mental shrug. "I just… it doesn't feel like…"

"Home?" the Hat suggested.

"Yes," replied Kristy, fidgeting with her robes.

The Hat chuckled. "Little manipulator. I told you there is Slytherin in you, but that will do no good. I can now see you rightly belong in… GRYFFINDOR!"

Kristy held her breath when she heard only shocked silence. A Black in Gryffindor? That would be the day… a few moments later, though, the Gryffindor table began clapping wildly and the other Houses followed suit, albeit with a little less enthusiasm.

McGonagall pulled the Hat from her head and she hopped from the stool to join Ron, Luke, Hermione and Harry, who were beaming at her and clapping hardest of all. Hermione offered her the seat beside her. Kristy took it gratefully and accepted the pats she got on her back from her new housemates.

"Well done, Kristy!" cried Ron, patting her shoulder. "I knew you had it in you."

Kristy smiled nervously and chose not to speak of her little conversation with the Sorting Hat, lest they thought she should be in Slytherin instead.

"Cineris, Audrey!" and "Corner, Michael!" both became Ravenclaws. "Creevey, Colin!" became a Gryffindor, and "Ernst, Henry!" became the first Hufflepuff.

"Freund, Devanee!"

Excited whispers broke out among Quidditch fans. The name Freund belonged to a member of the Tornadoes Quidditch team.

A tall black girl with curly hair stepped forward. She sat on the stool and waited for McGonagall to place the Sorting Hat on her head. After some deliberation, the Hat finally cried out: "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindors broke out in applause, even Ron, albeit a bit reluctantly. It seemed his devotion for the Chudley Cannons still surpassed House companionship.

Devanee skipped to the red and gold table with a happy smile on her face. Kristy patted the seat next to her and Devanee, noticing the invitation, went to join the small gang of Gryffindors.

"Hey," she said, adjusting her robes after sitting down. "I'm Devanee."

"Hermione," said the brown-haired girl beside Kristy. "And these are Kristy, Harry, Luke and Ron."

"Nice to meet you," said Devanee cheerfully. "I suppose we'll be sharing a dorm?" she asked Kristy.

Kristy nodded. "Definitely."

"Harper, Flynn!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Hughes, Tobias!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Hunt, Zane!" became another Gryffindor, "Ivers, Jocelyn!" a Slytherin, "Jinks, Grace!" a Hufflepuff, and "Keegan, Derek!" also joined them in Gryffindor. After "Kelsey, Valerie!" was sorted into Ravenclaw, silence descended on the Great Hall once more.

"Lestrange, Chantal!"

Kristy blinked a couple of times from her place at the Gryffindor table and heard her new housemates begin a barrage of rumours about the tiny girl with light brown hair that approached the Sorting Hat shyly.

"A Lestrange?" whispered Harry to her. "I didn't know there were any Lestrange children?"

"Not from my aunt Bellatrix, there aren't," confirmed Kristy with a small frown. "But I think her husband had a younger brother."

Hermione nodded. "So maybe she's his daughter, then."

Devanee's dark eyes went wide. "Bellatrix Lestrange is your aunt?"

Kristy grimaced. "She's my dad's cousin. She used to be a Black before she married Rodolphus Lestrange."

"I see…"

Settling for that, the group turned their attention back to the Hat. The girl was so small only the tip of her exquisite nose was visible, but there was no hiding the fact that she was trembling. The Sorting Hat opened its mouth again.

"SLYTHERIN!"

The little bit of Chantal's face that was visible relaxed and she hopped off the stool as soon as the Hat was off her head. She joined her housemates to thunderous applause from them and immediately sat herself in the place that Draco Malfoy had been saving for her, so confident he was that she would make it into Slytherin.

"Figures," commented Ron, clapping politely nonetheless. "Death Eaters will be Death Eaters."

Harry grunted his agreement as "Linwood, Abigail!" was sorted into Hufflepuff, and "Lovegood, Luna!" "Lynn, Brooke!" and "Mukesh, Sujay!" were sorted into Ravenclaw.

Luke sighed and let his head drop on the table. "How long till Ginny is sorted?" he asked, as "Nichols, Bradley!" hopped to the Hufflepuff table.

Harry shot a glance at the shortening line of first years and spotted the bright Weasley hair right away. "She'll probably be the last to be sorted," he replied at the same time the Hat shouted "Norwood, Delilah!" should be a Slytherin.

"I'm hungry!" complained Ron, glaring at the first years as if it were their fault.

Hermione scoffed at him. "You're a bottomless pit, Ronald."

Kristy and Devanee sniggered at him while "Outterridge, Alphaeus!" strutted to the Slytherin table at the other side of the hall.

"Eight more to go," commented Seamus a few seats down.

"Hear, hear," muttered Fred, while George fingered his cutlery.

"Parish, Adam!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

"Pelley, Yvonne!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

One of the new Gryffindor boys, Zane Hunt, ran a hand through his spiky black hair and sighed. "No more Gryffindors?"

"Ginny has to be," grumbled Ron under his breath when "Proudfoot, Elon!" went to Slytherin. "I'll disinherit her if she's not."

Luke laughed. "Only your parents can do that."

"Rakes, William!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Seaver, Raoul!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Vestri, Annelie!"

"GRYFFINDOR!"

"Weasley, Ginevra!"

"Finally!" cried Ron, throwing his arms in the air. Harry rolled his eyes at him and turned back to the sorting.

There were only two girls left to be sorted, and once Ginny left the stool they would be one girl away from the feast. They saw Ginny take a deep breath and step forward with her eyes fixed on Professor McGonagall.

The Weasley twins began humming in anticipation and Kristy let her head fall into her hands. _Seriously…_

"GRYFFINDOR!" roared the hat.

The whole table burst into applause when McGonagall took the hat off Ginny's bright head and the girl skipped to their table. Ron moved to make space for her and she sat down with a bright smile.

"Hello, everyone," she said.

"Hey yourself," greeted Luke, patting her back.

"Ginny!" shouted George a few seats down.

"Ginny!" echoed Fred, waving madly at her.

Ginny laughed at her brothers' antics and smiled brightly at Kristy and Hermione, who were smiling at her, too.

"Zeeger, Elsa!" was the last to be sorted that evening, and she skipped to the Hufflepuff table with glee.

When everyone was seated, Professor Dumbledore rose from his seat, plunging the Hall into silence.

"Good evening!" he called cheerfully over the crowd. "Welcome to all of our new students, and welcome back to all of our old ones!" he added while his eyes twinkled. "I am sure all of you must be tired and hungry, but I'm afraid I must first bore you with a short announcement: As you all know, Professor Black was forced to leave the school at the end of last year. As such, the position of new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts has been taken up by Professor Lockhart!"

The blond wizard bowed his head in acknowledgement when the Great Hall erupted in cheers, and excited cries from most of the female population.

Dumbledore allowed another moment of enthusiasm go by before placating the crowd a second time.

"And now, to fill up your rumbling bellies: Dig in!"

"That's the stuff," said Ron with a silly grin on his face, gleefully watching the food appear on the golden plates.

--

"That was amazing!" cried Luke when they got to the Common Room. "_This _is amazing!"

Harry and Ron sniggered at the look of excitement on the half-elf's face.

"I take it you like it here?" asked one of the prefects with a smile as she passed them by. She didn't wait for a response and walked to the front of the room.

"The boys' dormitory is up the stairs at my right, and the girls' dormitory to my left," she announced. "Classes begin tomorrow at eight sharp, and the current password is _Saramago_. Have a good night everyone and welcome to Hogwarts!"

Devanee squealed and grabbed both Kristy's and Ginny's wrists. "Come on! Let's check out the dorm!"

The redheads barely had any time to wish a good night to their male friends before being dragged up the stairs by a hyper Devanee. They followed her into a room that was marked 'First Year' and were met with a circular room that housed four beds. Kristy made a beeline for the bed beside one of the windows because Narya was already sleeping on the pillow, and Devanee skipped to the other one. Ginny took one of the beds beside Kristy's, surprised to see that all of their trunks were already at the foot of their respective beds.

Kristy kicked off her shoes and sat down on her bed, while Devanee practically hopped on hers and Ginny went through her trunk. Her attention was diverted to the door when the fourth occupant of the dorm strolled into the room.

"Hello," she said immediately. Her accent seemed foreign. "I'm Annelie. Annelie Vestri."

"Hello!" chirped Devanee. "I'm Devanee Freund. And these are Kristen Black and Ginny Weasley," she introduced them. "Are you from around here?"

The newest girl had tan skin and dusty blonde hair. Her light brown eyes brightened. "I am, but my father's Italian. I lived in Italy for four years before coming back here, is all."

"Italy?" asked Ginny with interest. "Really?"

Annelie nodded. "It's much warmer there."

The other three girls laughed.

Annelie went to the last bed left and let herself fall on her pillows with a contented sigh. "I really like it here, though," she commented.

Kristy tuned out the rest of the conversation as she searched her trunk for her pyjamas, here meaning baggy sweatpants and a long t-shirt, so she could change into them and go to sleep. The day's events had left her exhausted, and even though she really wanted to get to know the new girls, she also felt like starting school with the right foot. It wasn't long before Ginny, Devanee and Annelie followed her example and all got ready for bed. None of them closed their scarlet curtains that night, for the sake of dorm companionship or whatever compelled them not to do so.

They talked about school for a while longer, exchanging theories on the professors or what their classes would be like. They laughed at some and winced at others, sometimes disagreeing on how fascinating each subject really was. They did agree on something, however, and that was that they were in for an interesting year.

With a man like Gilderoy Lockhart teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, this was bound to be a very interesting year.


	24. To Find the Element

Chapter 22 – Two Worlds

**Chapter 23 – ****To Find the Element**

Second year went by in a flash of emotions, new experiences, new friends, a prank or two, new teachers, and a mysterious voice only Harry seemed to hear. While competent Monty Bours had replaced Nyah Rego, Gilderoy Lockhart had proven to be a horrible replacement for Sirius Black. Lockhart had, however, put his students through several practical lessons and managed to teach them a thing or two about how to deal with unpredictable situations –which in this context means: knowing whether to duck or attack a band of angry doxies- before he decided to step down and write yet another book, this time about his experience as a Hogwarts teacher. And what an experience it was.

Kristen Black had been relieved. She doubted she could bear yet another year of silly girls sighing dreamily over a professor. She had gained a new friend in Devanee (one of those girls who sighed over Lockhart), and having Luke around hadn't been half bad, either. Her cousin was fascinated by everything that happened at Hogwarts and as such was determined to be the best of the class. The Ravenclaws weren't very happy about that particular development…

All in all, it was a pretty normal year by Hogwarts' standards.

It was!

Unless you took into account a couple of students being petrified by a gigantic snake, the sacking of Dumbledore, Hagrid being taken under arrest, Ginny Weasley being possessed by the memory of a young Voldemort, and Harry killing both snake and memory at the end of the year. If he hadn't, the board of governors would have surely closed the school. The hardest times for the group had been when Hermione had been found petrified and Ginny had been pulled down to the infamous Chamber of Secrets.

Harry hadn't had it easy either. Especially when it became known that Harry was a Parselmouth for some reason and everyone believed he was the Heir of Slytherin and guilty of everything that was going wrong at Hogwarts.

It turned out it was Lucius Malfoy's fault, for slipping in Riddle's diary under everyone's noses, but there was no way of proving it. Now his plan for bringing back the Dark Lord had backfired and he had lost his house-elf, Dobby, to the Potters in the process.

Ingoldstadt went through more peaceful times however, even if the atmosphere had turned a bit grey due to Headmaster Taue's murder the summer before. The student body had no idea of the reason behind it, or how someone could get past Taue and actually kill him. Jack knew, though. All year long he had the horrible feeling he was next in Durza's to-kill list, even though his father kept assuring him that Durza had no way of getting into the school and actually do him in.

On more cheerful grounds, Ivy Draven had joined Jack's circle of friends, and to Jack's delight she also lived in Ebur, so they would be able to see each other over the holidays.

Manfred was as spiteful as ever, but Jack was determined not to give in an inch and behaved just as spitefully toward the other boy. Sadly, since Jack's second year had been Manfred's third, Manfred had finally discovered what his element was and was using it to his full advantage. Jack had spent most of his second year running away from powerful bursts of water and ice that Manfred manipulated in order to attack him, for Manfred had turned out a Waterwielder.

As fast as second year left, third year arrived and before the new third years had realized what was happening, the last month of the first term stood before them… and they all knew what that particular November meant.

"Truth or dare?" Aura asked Amy.

Amy pursed her lips and looked at the eleven students around her. "I'll take dare," she replied looking back at Aura, who smiled evilly, though she was looking at Jack.

Jack shifted uncomfortably. He knew it was no good when Aura Santos smiled like that, and less if that smile was directed at him.

They were sitting in a circle in their common room trying to pass the time. The tests they had to take in order to find out what their element was had started at the beginning of November, and so far only Otieno had found out the element he got to Wield. The next tests would take place later that day, but until then…

Aura turned back to Amy and, smirking, said, "I dare you to…" she paused for dramatic effect, "… _kiss_ Jack…" Jack turned his head to face her so fast, his neck cricked. His peers started to shake with laughter. Aura smirked evilly at him and then added, "… on the lips."

"Aura…" started Jack with a warning tone.

"Dare's given out!" chimed Aura as the others burst out laughing, though Ralph's laughter sounded a bit fake. It was no secret among Jack, Ralph, Kenichi and Tancred that Ralph had a soft spot for Amy.

"Aura, please," pleaded Amy with her cerulean eyes sparkling. "Can you change the dare? What if I take truth instead?"

"Yeah," agreed Jack, nodding his head vigorously. "I don't see why I should get a punishment if I've carried out all my dares."

Big mistake.

Amy's eyes lit up with indignation and she glared icily at the younger boy. "Punishment, Riddle?"

"Woooo…" wailed Lidiya the Russian. "You're doomed!"

Jack gulped as the girl from New Zealand crawled from her place in the circle towards him. He tried to back away, but Zoé and Isabel grabbed his arms and kept him in place. He barely heard his friends' laughter as Amy grabbed the front of his robes, pulled him in her direction and kissed him lightly on the lips.

The three girls let go of him but Amy didn't go back to her place. He sat there, dazed and a little wobbly, trying to take in the way in which he had gotten his first kiss.

Amy bit her lower lip, and suddenly jumped on him and kissed him a second time before hurrying back to her place amidst teasing and laughter… and a grumble from Ralph. The blonde shrugged at the group. "What? It was only an innocent kiss."

"What'd it feel like?" Neema asked Amy, eyes bright with excitement. "Does he taste good?"

Amy smirked evilly at Jack. "Heavenly."

Jack groaned and ran his pale hands through his hair, attempting to hide his reddening cheeks. Otieno chuckled and reached across Zoé to slap the smaller boy on his back, making Jack double over. The black boy was certainly the strongest in their group of twelve, which suited him, actually… his element being Earth and all.

_I can't believe Ralph's crush just kissed me,_ the Dark Prince kept thinking. _Ralph's gonna murder me for this, I'm so dead…_

"Zoé," said Amy, smirking at the French girl and interrupting Jack's thoughts. "Truth or dare?"

Zoé spluttered her surprise before regaining her usual composure. "Um… I'll take Truth, I think…"

"Make it good, Amy," called Aaron, scratching his white-haired head. "You know how Zoé is… you just can't get her to open up."

Zoé sent him a deadly glare while Amy laughed at the pair.

"Alright, Zoé," said the blonde, winking at Jack, making him shift in his seat. "Did you have a crush on our dashing Dark Prince back in first year?"

Jack looked affronted. "Amy!" he protested.

The blonde laughed. "I'm sorry, Your Darkness, I enjoy teasing you," she told him, enjoying his darkening expression. "So, what's your answer, Zoé?"

Zoé tossed a strand of dark hair over her shoulder, ignoring her bright blush. "I did," she admitted through clenched teeth.

The young teens hooted with laughter, except for Jack and Zoé, that was.

"You guys enjoy torturing me, don't you?" asked Jack, hiding his face.

Tancred laughed at him, slapping the floor and all. "You have girls throwing themselves at you, and you say it's torture?" he cried.

Jack growled. "It's scary!"

"Blessing," interjected Aaron.

"Karma," commented Kenichi.

Jack was seething. "So what did I do to have Karma bite my a-"

"You're the Dark Prince, the epitome of evil!" cried Isabel dramatically, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You deserve to be punished!"

"Wow thanks, Izza…" grumbled said Dark Prince sardonically.

Ralph ran a hand through his hair. "Well you know what Rego said, _Adonis. _Heck, if I had girls throwing themselves at my feet…" he said bitterly.

Jack spluttered. "Girls are _not_-"

"Not _yet_," cut Otieno, poking little holes into the floor with Earthwielding. "Just wait until we get a little older, and _then _you'll see."

"I'd rather not have that particular gift," said Jack dryly.

"Why in the bloody world not?" asked Tancred, perplexed.

Jack scowled at his Canadian friend. "Because it makes things too easy!"

The other five boys sent him strange looks.

"What?" cried Jack, giving them the same look they were giving him. "I prefer a girl that can pose a challenge!"

"Hear, hear!" cried Isabel. "That's a real man!"

"To Jack Riddle!" cried Lidiya, lifting an imaginary goblet. "May he teach boys how to be men!"

"To Jack!" cried the other girls to the boys' annoyance, and actually lifted imaginary goblets and 'drank' to Jack's health.

It was at times like these that Jack really wanted to be an Earthwielder and make the ground swallow him.

Their little game lasted for another while before Kenichi announced they had to leave. Swallowraw was waiting for them in their usual Dark Arts classroom, but then he would take their wands from them and send each into an empty room. He would then seal all the exits and each student would be on their own for hours, with a large basin filled with water in case they were Waterwielders. The task consisted of finding a way of getting out of the room without using their wands, which was virtually impossible. It was usually frustration that brought out the element.

Otieno had thrown a punch at a wall in his irritation and made a gigantic crack, so Swallowraw had let him out of the room declaring him an Earthwielder. From that day on, Otieno had been under the tutelage of Ingoldstadt's Earthwielding Master learning the basic facts about his element. It was what awaited all of them.

"I hate the tests," complained Tancred as they walked down the stairs. "I feel like I'm in a cage. I swear I'll be claustrophobic by Christmas."

"You complain too much," chided Aura. "I like the peace and quiet in the room. I have time to think."

Jack sighed at his friends' banter. "I have to agree with Tancred on this one. I _hate_ being locked up," he whispered with a scowl. It wasn't that he was claustrophobic, because he wasn't…. Being locked up brought back bad memories from his short time as a slave. His last master had had a warehouse with a basement he used as a dungeon. The old monster enjoyed leaving him in a cell for days after he was punished for trying to escape or defying the guards. Those weren't times worth remembering in Jack's opinion.

"See the bright side of things," said Amy, interrupting Jack's morbid thoughts. "By next term, all of us will know what our element is. We'll all have a Master, and we'll get to do all the cool moves the older students do."

"Bet I end up a Firewielder," said Kenichi, scratching his orange hair. "My mum was a Fire Magi, so I probably have it in my blood or whatever."

"My godfather's a Firewielder," supplied Jack. "I've seen him do some really cool moves. I want to be a Firewielder just so he can teach me," he added wistfully.

They kept speaking of the element they wished they had all the way to the Dark Arts classroom. It turned into an argument of which element was better than the other three; unfortunately, Swallowraw heard them.

"What was the first thing I told you about elements in your first year!?" the old half-vampire yelled at them. "Elements bring balance! There is not one that-!"

"We were just fooling around, Professor," cut Ralph. "None of us meant anything by it. Honest."

The others merely nodded their agreement. Really, Swallowraw could get horribly jumpy for a vampire.

"Very well," he said with a chilling glare. "Hand your wands over."

Jack sighed and retrieved his beloved obsidian wand from his robe's pocket. He waited until Swallowraw had taken all of his classmates' wands before he presented the black and gold marble handle to him. He detested being unarmed –also his father's doing.

"Remember the words," the half-vampire told them sternly. "_Pyro_ for Fire, _Anat _for Water, _Gaia _for Earth, and _Ventus_ for Air. Try them all out once you are on your own," he added before making a pause. He smirked. "You may want to be more insistent this time around. You could drown if you're not."

The students exchanged alarmed glances. Swallowraw never bluffed.

Their professor led them through the same corridors and passageways as the weeks before. He began dropping them off at random doors and sealing them in. Isabel and Aaron were the first to go –white faced and shaking with nerves because of their professor's warning. When Jack's turn came to walk into an empty classroom he had to force his legs to move forward. Drowning wasn't very appealing.

Swallowraw snapped shut the door behind him and in a few seconds the crack between wood and stone had disappeared. He gulped and looked around.

There was the usual basin filled with water in a corner. Four torches lit up the classroom. The desks and chairs were missing. There were no windows. He was in a relatively big stone box.

Sighing, he took the basic stance for Water and faced the basin. "_Anat!_" he cried, twitching his fingers to lift the water. It merely sparkled back at him. He growled. "_Anat!_" he insisted, this time accompanied by a push-pull movement of his hands.

Not a splash.

Jack scowled and dropped his stance, choosing to sit on the floor lotus style instead. He tapped the stone floor with his fingertips before he actually began rapping on it in irritation.

'_Gaia,_' he thought, hoping against hope that by merely thinking and rapping he would make a dent on the floor. '_Gaia_.'

Of course, nothing happened. The floor remained as smooth as ever and his hand was beginning to feel sore.

"I'm such a masochist," he mumbled to himself, lifting his hand to inspect his knuckles. They were bright red and raw-looking. "I'll take this as a sign that I'm not an Earthwielder," he commented dryly.

He let his hand fall to his side and lay down on the floor. He listened to the crackling of the flames and took a deep breath. "_Pyro,_" he whispered. "_Pyro._"

The mere sound of the crackling fire was so hypnotizing that he began feeling heavy with sleep. Maybe if he relaxed and waited inspiration would strike him? He shot a glance at his watch… it read 4:33… before closing his eyes. '_Pyro,_' he thought. '_Pyro… Pyro…'_

Unknown to him, the flames in the torches began dancing to the rhythm of his breath.

He felt cold.

He shuddered and opened his eyes. The torches were still burning, and the room was still as dreary as ever, but something was different. He moved and heard a splash.

… a _splash!_?

Jack sat up and realized his back was sopping wet. Glancing around he saw the fire was being reflected on the surface of the water that was beginning to fill up the room. He panicked. Swallowraw was not really going to drown them, was he?

He glanced at his watch and choked on air. It was 6:45. He had been asleep for the last two hours! No wonder Swallowraw wanted to drown him…

He stood up and looked down. The water level was up to his ankles, but it was climbing up _fast_. At this rate, the water would be up to his thigh in five minutes, and falling into stances correctly would become more and more difficult.

He tried with Water again. "_Anat!" _he cried, moving his arms in a horizontal circle. The Water let him down again and remained in place.

He groaned and faced the wall where the door should be. He remembered his father telling him that if Air was used correctly, it could be used as a very sharp, very powerful blade. He hadn't tried out Air today… maybe, if he could only _stir_ the air around him a little… he wouldn't be able to cut through stone, but wood was an entirely different matter.

He took a new stance. "_Ventus!_" he cried, slashing the air before him with his arm. He didn't stir the air anymore than he usually would, and the water was getting close to his knees.

He tried everything, and went through all of the few stances he knew of each element. None of the four was cooperating and the water was up to his waist. It was a good thing he knew how to swim.

Leaning against the door he tried to calm himself down and searched his brain for a reason behind his lack of Elementwielding. Maybe he wasn't desperate enough… maybe, deep down, he knew that Swallowraw wouldn't really kill them. No student had yet died under the Dark Arts professor's tutelage, he was thinking as he glanced at the torches. How could Fire help him in a situation like this?

An explosion could blast the wall open, or heat could evaporate the water… but he would have to be a skilled Firewielder to be able to do any of those things, and he wasn't. The most new Firewielders could do was shoot thin streams of fire from their fingers, and that wasn't very helpful right now.

Of course, if he did produce a stream of Fire, Swallowraw would let him out of the room right away. He knew he had set things on fire before, when he was really angry… but that was accidental magic, wasn't it? Like the first time he levitated one of his father's quills when he was four because he was desperate for his father's attention.

He noticed the water now almost reached his chest. It seemed the level was climbing up faster than he initially thought… or it had just sped up its pace at some point and he hadn't noticed until now. He looked up and noticed the ceiling wasn't very high in here. He didn't have much time.

'_Fire is my best shot, it seems,_' he thought grimly. '_I have to get angry… somehow_.'

The problem was he hadn't had anything to be angry about lately. He didn't have Maths anymore… he had Arithmancy. Both his father and godfather were well, Manfred wasn't causing him any trouble, Potter merely annoyed him, and he didn't have anything to be jealous about.

"Hades, I need a life," he muttered to himself. "What would Father do?" he asked the empty room suddenly. He had a mental image of his father blasting Swallowraw to the seventh hell. "Alright, so Father isn't the most pristine example to follow…" he concluded sullenly.

He didn't even consider his godfather. Diego had a way of not getting into sticky situations in the first place. He had to stand on tiptoe now to keep his head out of the water.

"Bloody vampire!" he cried, frustrated. The water was _cold_ damn it!

Shivering, he stepped away from the door and settled for smashing his shoulder against it repeatedly. Hardly the most dignified thing to do, but he was beginning to feel numb and he really, _really _wanted out of the room. The water felt like needles on his skin. In his desperation, he couldn't see the torches flaring along with his mood.

He took a deep breath and dove under the surface. The water had to be coming from somewhere, so maybe if he could find the source he would be able to blast it open with… _whatever…_

He swam with his eyes open, even though there wasn't much light down here. He felt the floor with his hands, ran his fingers through every crack and ridge, and stroked the points where the walls met the floor, but he couldn't find any current. He cursed in his head and went up for air, to find he wasn't able to reach the floor anymore if he wanted to keep his head out of the water.

He cursed before taking another deep breath and diving a second time. He checked another patch of floor, felt the walls, the door… and almost had a heart attack when the lights went out and he was left in absolute darkness.

'_The water must have reached the torches,' _he thought, swimming upwards. He felt his head break the surface and gasped for air. He glanced around, still not seeing the tiniest crack of light. But then again, what did he expect?

He decided against diving one more time, for the water would reach the ceiling any moment now and he wasn't sure he would be able to come up for air again. However, it didn't seem that Swallowraw was about to let him out either… what if the old half-vampire had betrayed him? What if his peers were already all outside, wondering what had happened to him? Was he really about to drown?

Panic really began gripping him now. Betrayal was nothing new to him, and him being the Dark Prince did give people an incentive to betray him. Why couldn't he see it before? How could he be so blind!? After he escaped slavery, he learnt that no one could be trusted. Ingoldstadt had made him soft… he was about to pay the price.

'_No!_' he thought forcefully. '_I can't give up that easily… I have to find a way out NOW!'_

He swam forward until he found a wall and followed it until he found the door. It was completely underwater now, so that could make things difficult. He didn't know what he was about to do but whatever that was, he had to do it fast. He could swear he felt the top of his head brush the ceiling… and that couldn't be good. He dug his fingernails into the damp wood, banged his fists on the wall, scratched the wooden frame, and kicked the door –causing him mild injury to his ankles that he couldn't really feel because he was numb. The freezing water was making it hard to think… if he could only have some warmth!

And then there it was… the water's temperature increased, but it seemed to be making him drowsy. He became less insistent on his escape attempts, just like back then, when he was enslaved. Lately everything seemed to remind him of those days. He was suddenly exhausted… staying above the surface was just too difficult, and he could already feel the ceiling anyway. He would die in darkness… fitting for a Dark Prince.

He hoped his father could forgive him.

But then he woke up completely when a whirlpool pulled him down. He couldn't break away from it… it was too strong. He felt it drag him to the bottom and banged him against the floor before he felt his face break the surface of the water again, except this time his body hadn't left the floor.

He coughed several times before he managed to find his voice. "What the- _what happened?_" he asked the empty room.

Of course, there was no answer but the door swung open and there stood Swallowraw, laughing his head off. Jack was so shocked by the rare display of emotion that he forgot to rant and rave at the professor.

"Hello there, Mr. Riddle," greeted Swallowraw amidst chuckles. "Congratulations. You are a Firewielder."

Jack stared at the old half-vampire with his jaw hanging open. "I'm a _what_? But you were bloody trying to kill me!"

Swallowraw burst into laughter again. "My dear boy, you really think I would kill the only one person who actually has a shot at making a vampire's life easier? Not to mention, one of my best students?"

"I can't make your life easier, you crazy old bat!" cried Jack, suddenly remembering he was pissed.

Swallowraw watched with interest the boy's deep blue orbs slowly turn crimson. This was, without a doubt, the Dark Lord's son.

"Of course you can make life easier for us," argued Swallowraw, not at all unsettled by the boy's eyes. "You are the next Dark Lord. Should you gain your father's position and standing in a few more years, things for the Dark will certainly start looking up. But enough of this prattle! Go to your common room and take a lukewarm shower. I do not fancy you dying of hypothermia under my watch."

Jack was seething. "I wouldn't be at risk of dying of hypothermia if not for you!" he insisted, finally finding the strength to get back on his feet.

The professor raised an eyebrow. "Are you done yet?"

Jack wanted to hurt him. Bad.

Swallowraw sighed and pulled Jack's beloved obsidian wand from his robes. He threw it at the youth, who caught it expertly, and prepared to leave the room. "Some of your companions also found their element today. Oosaki is another Firewielder. Bloor and García are Airwielders, Cooper is a Waterwielder, and Santos an Earthwielder. Perhaps you would like to exchange stories in your Common Room?" he suggested as a parting word, before turning his back on Jack and leaving the room.

Jack considered aiming a curse at the half-vampire's back, but held back. Swallowraw had never tried to kill them… not really, anyway. He put his wand away and grudgingly decided to follow his teacher's advice and take a warm shower. He suddenly felt embarrassed at what he had assumed would be his last moments. Honestly, why hadn't he being able to come up with something more dignified? Something like 'fighting to the end' or 'to die trying'? He wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

--

By the time December strolled into their lives all twelve students had found their element. Jack, Kenichi and Neema had turned out Firewielders. Ralph, Isabel and Tancred were Airwielders. Lidiya, Otieno and Aura would be Earthwielders. Finally, Amy, Aaron and Zoé were Waterwielders.

They would begin their training as of January with one of Ingoldstadt's Element Wielding Masters. Jack's Firewielding teacher was a woman, Master Akane, who seemed to be good but very strict. Fire was something you just didn't play with… unless you wanted to get burnt.

Diego had gloated about his godson being a Firewielder to Tom for a whole week before Tom had tired of it… and cursed the tip of his friend's tongue to the back of his front teeth. Diego had yet to find a cure for it and complained about it to Jack in his letters, but Jack couldn't find it in him to help his godfather. The whole situation was just too amusing and he really wanted to see Diego in his current predicament. Luckily, he was returning home soon, so he would probably be able to catch a glimpse of his godfather struggling to free himself. Diego hadn't been able to wipe the smirk off Tom's face either, so he was probably disgruntled, the poor man.

Not everything was the colour of roses, however.

In one of his letters, Tom had relayed to Jack some very unsettling news. It turned up Durza had been killed in Alagaësia during a duel in the middle of a battle, but a second Shade had risen in his place somewhere in Fulgur. Jack vaguely remembered that his Albino friend, Billy Raven, had been born and lived in Fulgur before he was adopted and moved to Norfolk. Billy would come back to Ingoldstadt the next year as a Firstie.

One of his father's theories had frightened him the most, especially because he was usually right. It was the Dark Lord's belief that Durza had been no more than the beginning of something big… something that required more than a single Shade and all seven Keystones, but _what _he could not tell. He told Jack to brace himself, for he was sure Shades would start popping up everywhere very soon, and they would all begin to hunt down the remaining Key Keepers.

Jack kept fingering the Violet Key dangling from his neck for the rest of the month.

Back in Hogwarts, Harry and his friends were getting ready to leave. Luke had convinced Kristy of spending her Christmas with him in Fatura again, since he had spent Christmas in their home on their First Year. Orion had wanted to tag along, so he was invited too. Harry would be staying at home this year with his family and Dobby, the house elf he had saved from the Malfoys in his second year. Dobby adored Harry more than anything, and since this would be their first Christmas together Dobby wanted to make something special. Harry didn't have the heart to refuse.

When the school year finally came to an end, Sirius and Megan escorted Orion, Kristy and Luke to Wales, where the three children would take their boat to Ebur. Luke's parents would be waiting for them at the other end to take them to Fatura; Orion was specially excited to go back to his grandparents' palace.

"Have a very Happy Christmas, all of you," Megan said as she hugged Orion. "And be nice to your grandparents," she added, giving him a kiss.

"But I'm always good!" protested the boy, wiping his mother's kiss away. "And don't do that, mum," he added, referring to the kiss.

Megan laughed at him. "Too old for them?" she teased him.

Orion huffed. "I am, actually."

Kristy rolled her eyes and smacked the back of her brother's head. "Come on, midget. We have to go."

Luke waved good-bye to his aunt and uncle and climbed into the boat first, and then Kristy let her parents hug and kiss her before climbing into the boat after her cousin. Last came Orion, grumbling about his parents being so mushy.

"Ebur, right?" asked the boat's captain.

"Yes, actually," replied Sirius for the children. "And you better take them safely there, or you'll have me to answer to!" he threatened with a particularly menacing scowl.

The captain paled. "O-of course, Mr. Black," he stuttered, fingering the boat's wheel. "I'll take them to port safely," he assured him.

"You better," added Sirius as a final warning.

Orion stuffed his fist in his mouth to stop his laughter from leaving him. He had the best father in the world!

Megan latched onto Sirius as they waved at the three children and watched the boat disappear. She was biting her lip.

"I have a bad feeling about this, Sirius," she confessed to him.

Sirius kissed the top of her head and waved away her concerns. "They'll be fine. They're going with your sister, what could go wrong?"

"I don't know, but the feeling just won't go away," she insisted, looking into his eyes. "I'm worried, Sirius."

Sirius gave her a little frown. "They'll be alright. I promise," he reassured her.

--

Orion nearly fell on Kristy when the siblings left their boat. The turbulence they felt when they entered Lemuria's atmosphere had made him a little dizzy, plus getting used to walking on land again after a wild boat ride wasn't easy for him.

Kristy pushed him off her and Orion swatted a fist at her in protest, but Kristy merely laughed.

"You look drunk, midget," she told him.

He kicked a pebble and shot her a dirty look. "I'll never understand why you never get dizzy at sea."

Kristy shrugged. "I like the sea. Maybe it likes me back."

Her brother let out a sardonic laugh.

Luke smacked the back of his cousin's head. "Don't be rude, Orion. Did you know that properly trained witches and wizards can control an element? What if Kristy can control water, hmm?"

Orion's grey eyes widened. "Are you for real? We can control elements?"

Luke shifted his feet. "Sort of. It's Dark Magic, though."

Orion's face fell. "Ow, man!" he complained. "It'd be awesome to control air and fly. Just picture the Quidditch moves you could do with that."

"You can fly with a broom," interjected Kristy quickly, lest her naïve little brother started getting ideas. "You don't need the Dark Arts."

"Still…" began Orion wistfully. "Just imagine soaring on your own…"

Luke and Kristy exchanged a look at Orion's daydreaming.

"So where are we gonna meet your parents?" Kristy asked Luke, stirring them away from dangerous waters.

"Mother said there's a spot inland that's rather eye-catching," he replied, looking into the city. "It's like an obelisk in the middle of a square. A memorial for the people who died here two years ago."

"Oh," said Kristy. "Do you know how to get there?"

Luke laughed. "Are you serious? I've never been to Ebur. I've just passed through the port because their cruise lines have the most destinations."

Kristy muttered a curse under her breath. "So where to now?"

"Let's ask around for the memorial," suggested Orion, coming back to Earth. "How many memorials can they have?" he added, taking a look around him as if memorials were about to start spouting from the ground.

It turned out there were several memorials strewn across the city. Before becoming a peaceful, prosperous country, Ebur had seen some dark times. Their oldest memorial was two thousand years old, marking the first important war fought by Ebur: its independence, the beginning of their kingdom. Another one was built a century after the first –a revolution. Most were built during the Middle Ages. The two most recent ones available to the public were built, the first, in 1920 and the second one barely two years before, when Jack Riddle had died, along with all the other people killed in the raid.

The most recent memorial was an obelisk made of jade and gold, its top crowned by a phoenix in flight. Kristy snorted at the irony. What would the Riddle family think of one of their own being remembered by Dumbledore's symbol?

"Can you see the Dark Heir's name?" asked Orion, squinting in the winter sun.

"Not from here, no," replied Luke, making a hole in the snow with his foot while looking around. "Mother should be here already. Wonder what's keeping her?"

"What day's today, again?" asked Orion, reading the names engraved on the green stone.

"Twenty-third of December," replied Kristy, also reading. "There!" she cried suddenly, pointing at the second half of the memorial.

**Jack A. Riddle ****AGE****10**

"Whoa…" gasped Orion. "He was the age I am now…"

Luke nodded. "Were you and I him, we'd be dead now," he told Kristy. She bit her lip.

"I never believed he was dead, you know?" she told them. "I saw him once, but I can't remember exactly what he looked like. He was very pale, though, and his hair was the darkest shade of black I've ever seen."

Orion's jaw dropped open. "You never told me you saw him! Were his eyes red like his dad's?"

Kristy and Luke gave the younger boy strange looks. "No, his eyes weren't red," she replied. "They were blue… a very eerie shade of ice blue. I've had nightmares with those eyes," she confessed quietly. "They sort of… glow."

Orion and Luke gazed silently at her before Orion burst out laughing.

"Yeah, right!" he crowed uneasily. "Eyes don't glow, Kristy!"

Kristy huffed. "You say that because you're scared of him, chicken. You're scared of finding eyes like his in a dark alley."

"Are not!"

"Are too!"

"Are not!

"Get over it, Orion," cut Luke, taking Kristy's side. "A lot of people were scared of Jack turning out like You-Know-Who. It's okay being afraid of him, even if he's dead now," he added, taking a seat in a nearby bench.

"I'm not afraid of him!" insisted Orion, stamping his foot.

"Fine, you're not," conceded Luke. "But I would be," he confessed, rubbing his hands together.

Orion finally seemed appeased. "What do you reckon the 'A' stands for?" he asked, looking back at the name.

The other two shrugged.

"Who knows what scary Dark wizards name their children," replied Luke. "What does 'Jack' mean, anyway?"

Kristy poked her cousin's cheek. "Jack comes from Jacob. It had something to do with inheriting duties. Aptly named, I'd say… he would have inherited some heavy duties had he lived, no?"

Luke rubbed his abused cheek and considered her words. "You have a point, I guess… why do I feel like someone's watching us?"

Kristy and Orion looked around. Some couples and families were passing by the area, but no one was really giving them the time of day. With Christmas coming up in two days, shopping was on everyone's mind.

"I think you're paranoid, Luke," Orion said finally. "I don't feel anything but hunger."

"It _is _dinnertime," agreed Kristy, checking the time in her wristwatch. "For us, anyway. It's another time zone here."

"Would you like some dinner, then?"

The three children turned their heads in the direction of the voice and saw an exact replica of Megan.

"Mum!" cried Luke with a smile. "You were beginning to scare me! Why are you here alone?"

Katyn waved a hand at her son. She was dressed in clothes fit for a common witch, rather than clothes tailored for an Elven princess, that was why they hadn't recognized her earlier. "Your father wanted me to bring a whole escort, but I really didn't feel like bringing the whole carnival to Ebur to pick up my son, niece and nephew. Now, what about something to eat?"

That was about the time Hell decided to break loose.

--

**A/N: **Sorry about cutting it there, but if I'd kept going then this chapter would have been around 11 000 words long. The next one shouldn't take too long to be uploaded, considering I have most of it written out.

　 ／l、

ﾞ（ﾟ､ ｡ ７

　l、ﾞ ヽ

じしf, )ノ


	25. Collision

"A Shade

**A/N: **Yeah, I know I said it wouldn't take long, but one thing led to another and the chapter kept getting longer and longer… that's what happened when you let the characters write the story sigh

Enka, I would have liked to respond to your review (thank you so much!!) but since I couldn't send you a message I'll do it here :P I have to confess I'm guilty of not writing much on Harry… poor kid, but things will get interesting for him later on so I don't feel so bad about it Lol

**Chapter 24 - ****Collision**

It began with a scream.

Jack Riddle was just leaving Savannah Alley; he'd begun walking back to the apothecary where he'd given his father and godfather the slip to go visit his mother's death place like he did every 23rd of December, when a loud cry made him turn his head in another direction and stop in his tracks.

He stood stock-still, his eyes darting back and forth. '_Not again…_' he thought feebly. '_Not another raid…'_

For a moment, silent shock seemed to have taken over the area. Heads poked through windows; people trying to find out the source of the scream. They exchanged looks with their neighbours and the people walking down on the street, questioning each other with their eyes.

_What's going on?_

As if answering their question, a chorus of frightened cries shattered the silence and Jack felt his blood run cold. On cue, he set off at a run to find his father. He wasn't stupid… the only reason he had survived the raid from two years before was because he had stuck to Gauri, and Paris the vampire had found him early. On his own, he didn't have much of a chance, even though two and a half years in Ingoldstadt had given him a valuable arsenal of curses and counter curses.

Which would be useless against a Shade, should one feel like showing up.

He sped through alleys and backstreets, knowing it was better to stay away from the main streets, which would be full of frightened people who could crush him to death in their panic. He hoped his father hadn't moved from the apothecary, or at least that Diego and Ralph hadn't moved.

Jack had invited his cousin over for the winter holidays, since Ralph had no desire to be near his father and brother if he could help it. Kenichi and Tancred would be going to their own homes, and Ralph hadn't wanted to stay alone. Of course, Jack had to confess to his cousin that his father was still alive and well, thank you very much. Thankfully, Ralph hadn't made much of a fuss about it.

He'd been more frightened by the idea of meeting _the _Dark Lord, rather than being frightened of the prospect of Lord Voldemort still being alive. The kid just didn't know how to set his priorities straight.

Then, of course, his father hadn't been happy with the idea of Ralph knowing the truth, especially since Ralph was the son of one of his enemies, and expressed it quite vocally. But when Ralph had confessed that he would stick by Jack no matter how his father threatened him, Tom had softened a little and grudgingly let the boy stay, for Jack's sake at least.

He skidded to a halt when he noticed he'd ran past the Apothecary with the strange coloured plumes, and turned around, almost crashing face-first into his father's chest who had Apparated next to him as soon as he saw the boy. He was furious.

"What the Hell were you thinking?" Tom yelled at him, grabbing a fistful of Jack's hood and yanking. "Where were you?"

Under other circumstances, Jack would have snapped at his father to leave him the Hell alone, thank you very much, but these were not normal circumstances and he was actually glad he'd been found.

"I went to Savannah Alley, like I do every 23rd of December," he replied hotly. "You can't blame me for that! Besides, if an attack hadn't broken out at this precise moment you wouldn't have minded my slip!"

In response, Tom gave him an ugly look that Jack was happy to return. He knew he was pushing his father's limits, but it was too late to back down now.

"Where are Ralph and Diego?" Jack asked quietly.

Tom didn't let go of Jack's robes but looked up and down the street at the increasing mob with a slight frown. "They left before I noticed you were missing," he replied dryly. "We have to find them now."

Jack followed his father's gaze and noticed for the first time that the mob wasn't composed by just humans. The Urgals were back, stomping on everything that crossed their paths and roaring at whoever got too close. Funnily enough, they didn't seem to be in a killing mood.

"Can you Apparate?" Jack asked Tom, giving him a hopeful look.

Tom closed his eyes for a moment before opening them a bit dejectedly. "Not anymore. But that's to be expected. Perhaps if you hadn't run away, at least you and I would be out of here," he added spitefully.

Jack chose to remain quiet, knowing his father was right but not liking it one bit. He wasn't fond of the blame falling on him, but what did it matter anymore? They were trapped.

Tom dragged Jack into an alley before the boy could protest and finally let go of his robes. Jack shot him a mild dirty look and brushed down his robes as if they were dirty, but stopped the moment he realized Tom's gaze was fixed on the main street and he seemed to be deep in thought.

"What's on your mind?" Jack asked him, peeking from behind his father's back.

Tom took a moment to respond. "Those Urgals… there's something off," he replied slowly, thinking over his words carefully. "Why aren't they killing anyone? What are they waiting for?" he thought out loud.

Jack sent him a look. "They're waiting for something?" he said sceptically.

"Or some_one_," added Tom, sticking to the shadows.

Jack's eyes widened. "You don't think-? But it can't! What would a Shade want with Ebur?"

His father looked at him as if he were crazy. "You, of course! Or more specifically, the Key dangling from your neck. It's no secret they're collecting them for a reason. Taue was killed for the Yellow one. The Orange and Red Key Keepers are also dead."

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. "But I'm supposed to be dead to the world! I've been Daniel McKnight for two years! They couldn't have found out, could they?"

Tom sighed deeply and his brow furrowed in thought. "No, I don't think they've figured it out. Emperor Hakan died two years ago, so he couldn't have betrayed us. They must be here looking for your supposed body, or something to that effect."

"Why didn't they attack sooner, then?" asked Jack, confused.

"Because of the spell I put on the chain," answered Tom, eyeing a bit of silver that poked from Jack's collar. "When you die, the spell keeps away anyone with the intent of taking the Key –like a Shield Charm- but it weakens with time. They must have deemed that two years was enough waiting. However," he added, noticing his son's paling face, "the spell will continue to work efficiently while you're alive."

Jack fought the need to swallow, not wanting to look scared or weak in front of his father. He could swear the man was fearless, and he knew Tom wouldn't take kindly to his only child being a coward.

A loud voice barking orders caught both of their attentions and made them whirl around as one to find out what was going on. At first they couldn't make out anything with so many people running about, but when the crowd cleared Jack wished they hadn't.

"A Shade..." whispered the boy, his eyes widening

"Quiet," snapped Tom coolly, waving his hand at his son as if he were scaring a fly away. "Must be one of the new ones," he whispered, studying the Shade's frame and his shoulder-length, wavy brown hair.

"Who's body do you think it is?" asked the boy quietly, watching the Shade pull out a long sword with strange inscriptions on it and brandish it at a small group of Urgals.

Tom pulled them both farther back into the alley, so father and son would be completely hidden by the shadows. He didn't feel like fighting a Shade in his current state, should they be discovered. He shook his head at his son. "I rather didn't know whose body it was, but whoever the owner... he's as good as dead."

Jack frowned and stepped a bit closer to the Dark Lord. "'As good as'?" he questioned.

"Damn it, brat!" snapped Tom. "It's not time for questions. Keep your curiosity in check."

Jack clicked his jaws together obediently. _'But,_' his mind screamed at him. _'As good as dead? Is the person's soul trapped with the Shade then?_' That was new. His father was truly a walking encyclopaedia, albeit, a very snappy one.

"Jack," called Tom.

"Yeah?" replied Jack, looking at his father expectantly.

"We have to split up," replied the adult. Tom noticed the boy was about to protest and cut him off. "Don't even start, brat. We have to find Ralph and Diego. Those two are so hot headed they'll get themselves killed unless-"

He had no time to finish what he was saying because of the explosion that shook the whole street. Tom's shoulder hit the alley wall and out of reflex held Jack by his robe's hood to stop him from hitting the floor.

"Wow, thanks," said Jack in surprise, once both were standing properly again. "I didn't expect you to stop my fall."

Tom raised an eyebrow in response.

"O... k. I'll shut up now," said Jack, averting his father's gaze.

"As I was saying," began Tom in clipped tones. "We split up. You keep going deeper into the alley and I'll go back. Meet me at Alfonso's in half an hour whether you've found Ralph or Diego, or not."

"But," protested the boy. "If you go back you'll meet the Shade!"

Tom gave Jack his trademark eye-roll. "I know that, brat, I just don't want _you_ near that Shade."

The boy straightened up to his full height, which wasn't very impressive, due to the fact that he came up only to his father's chest. At this, the Dark Lord raised an eyebrow.

"Well I don't want _you_ to-" he began to say, before Tom chuckled quietly at his son's attempt at intimidation.

"What are you laughing at?" asked a very agitated Jack.

"Brat, you're twelve," replied Tom. "You're not very imposing."

"Almost thirteen!" corrected the young teen. "And Diego's actually taught me how to shoot fire from my fingertips if I feel like it," he added, as if that would make him more of a threat –and it was true; Diego had begun teaching him some moves as soon as Jack had come back from school.

"Still twelve to me," teased Tom, leaning on the wall and crossing his arms over his chest.

Jack sniffed disdainfully at his father. "Well, that's hardly the point, is it?" He looked at his father with concern. "It's just that..."

Tom raised his eyebrows at the boy, prompting him to explain.

The young teen looked down at his shoes. "It's just that the last time you faced a Shade you... _died_," he muttered darkly.

Tom straightened up with an undecipherable look upon his face. He hesitated for a couple of seconds, and then gently lifted the boy's chin. His son's deep sapphire blue eyes stared back at him with a determination that was rare in most people. His son's eyes were the eyes of someone who had gone through Hell and back, and survived to tell the tale. His son's eyes were not the eyes of a child. He sighed.

"You're growing up too fast," he muttered his observation, letting go of the boy's chin. "I hope that doesn't mean you won't be up to dyeing Alfred's hair neon pink again."

The boy gave him a faint smile. "'Course not. But, let's dye it neon yellow next time... I'd love to see a Malfoy-wanna-be look on him."

Tom laughed. "I second the motion."

Father and son fell into silence. Jack knew that splitting up would give Ralph and Diego a better chance at survival, but he could not stop thinking that if they went their separate ways, he would never see his father again. So it was bitterly that he spoke next.

"Let's split up, then," he whispered. "I'll go deeper into the alley."

Tom nodded approvingly at the boy. "I'll hopefully see you in half an hour. Or less. Good luck, son," he added in a warmer tone, before they both turned around and went to the opposite sides of the alley. However, Jack soon came to a dead end and halted; he turned around but was surprised to see that his father was nowhere to be seen. He sighed in disappointment and pulled out his wand. He raised his eyes to the top of the alley wall and saw a lamp sticking from the top.

Pointing at it with his wand, he cried, "Carpe Retracto!" and a purple lasso wound itself around the thin lamp. He hesitated before following up with the second part of the spell; the one in which he was supposed to let the purple jet of light pull him towards the lamp on its own accord, mainly because the lamp looked old and battered, but also because a part of him was screaming at him to turn around and go after his father.

'_No_,' he thought to himself, facing the wall with determination. _'I have to find Ralph or Diego_.'

With one deep breath, he pulled a little on the purple lasso and then let it pull him up. He planted the soles of his shoes on the brick wall and started to climb aided by the spell. He crossed the wall and set out at a sprint for the last place where he had seen his cousin and godfather. All the same, he couldn't stop worrying about his father.

'_What's a Shade doing here?' _he thought as he ran through the shadows to keep himself hidden. '_He couldn't really have come for the Violet Key, could he? Was that why Father wanted me away? What if the Shade doesn't know I have the Key now? What if he recognizes Father and goes after him?'_

"Where is the Dark Heir?"

He gasped and skidded to a halt. He looked around in alarm and realized he wasn't anywhere he recognized, but there was something very familiar about the voice that had inquired after him.

"He's dead!" cried Ralph's voice in an arrogant tone. "He died two years ago! Didn't you hear the news?"

Jack froze. "_Ralph!_" he breathed. He pressed his back to a building and slid along it toward the source of the voices.

"He's here, isn't he? You're with him. Where is he?"

Panicked, Jack began going through all the voices he knew in his head, trying to find a match before he dared to peek around a corner. However, try as he might, neither name nor face came to mind.

He cursed rather colourfully and looked for a shadowed spot that could give him some sort of cover when he peeked at the pair. At least he hoped it was a pair.

Jack looked and paled before releasing another string of curses that would make a Death Eater proud, but would have Tom cursing him into next year. What was _he _doing here? How on Earth did _he _know where to find him? Jack rubbed his eyes. _'Maybe I'm just seeing things… I must have hit my head somewhere,'_ he thought desperately, but when he looked around the corner again _he _was still there. _He _was harassing Ralph for answers that the boy would not give him.

Ralph was scowling. "Are you blind? I'm alone here, and my parents are looking for me," he lied. "Trust me, you don't want to cross my father, _Half-blood_!"

Snape's face was white with rage. He grabbed a handful of Ralph's robes and lifted him into the air.

"See this, Riddle?" he called into the darkness. "Do you not care about your family either?"

Jack bit back a snarl, knowing full well that any sound he made would only make things worse. His cousin was kicking the air, trying to free himself from the adult's grasp, though he didn't seem to be in pain.

"So this is not enough for you?" sneered Snape. He let Ralph fall on the road –he made an 'oomph' when he landed- and then pointed his wand at the boy. "This is your choice, Riddle! Come out or I swear I will hurt him!"

Against his better judgment, Jack restrained himself.

"Fine!" called Snape. The Potions Master released a mild curse on the boy on the floor. Although it had only been a stinging hex, it made Ralph yelp.

Jack saw red. Snape had taken it too far already. Without really thinking about it, he stealthily walked around Snape's back and began looking for the best angle of attack.

Snape looked impressed. "Not enough, eh? Very well... I suppose a little bit more..."

He pointed his wand at the grimacing boy on the floor once more and was about to fire a more powerful curse when something hard slammed into his side, making him lose his balance and drop his wand.

"Run, Ralph!" cried Jack, slamming his fist into Snape's face and successfully breaking the man's nose. Ralph got to his feet right away and sprinted from the road as fast as he could.

Despite the blood running down his face, Snape had sense enough to grab a handful of the Dark Heir's black robes before he could get away. Ralph, once he noticed his younger cousin was not following him, stopped and looked back to find out the reason. When he saw Jack struggling to break free from the adult's grasp, he snarled and went back to help his cousin before Snape Apparated away.

Jack did as best as he could to keep Snape from reaching his wand, since once he had it, any chances of getting back to his father would be null. Snape would, of course, be taking him to Hogwarts and then everyone would know that he was not truly dead and any attempts of rescuing him from his father's part would only blow Tom's cover.

"Flipendo!" cried Ralph's voice from a safe distance. The orange spell hit Snape on the back of his head, momentarily knocking the man to the ground and giving Jack the perfect opportunity to escape. Jack snatched Snape's wand from the ground and ran towards his cousin, who didn't start running until Jack was close enough to him.

"What do we do?" cried Ralph over the noise in the street.

Jack glanced behind them to check on Snape, and took a sharp intake of breath when he saw the adult wizard had started after them. Wordlessly, Jack pushed Ralph around a corner and almost got hit by a lost Stupefy spell. At the end of the street, both boys noticed that a fight was taking place between some wizards, witches and Urgals.

"This way!" called Jack, turning left and crossing the street.

"Where are we going?" asked Ralph, doing his best to keep up with the faster boy.

"Father said we would meet at Alfredo's!" replied Jack, taking a turn to the right and starting to think how he could best lose Snape and stay away from the raid. "I just don't want Snape following us there, it could endanger my father."

"How do you know that overgrown bat, anyway?" panted Ralph.

"He used to be one of my father's Death Eaters," answered Jack. "Always the one in charge of potions. Father trusted him and sent him to spy on the Order of the Phoenix, but I never liked him... he strikes me as the kind of guy who has an allegiance only to himself."

"And why does he know you're alive?" cried Ralph with a hint of desperation lacing his voice. "Didn't you feign your death after the last raid?"

Jack growled. "I did! I've no idea how he could find out, and now he's seen me he knows for sure I'm still around. If he goes to Dumbledore I'm done."

"What are you going to do?"

Jack shook his head helplessly. "I don't know! I have to tell my father about this, and maybe he'll Obliviate Snape or something."

All Ralph could say to that was 'Oh', and keep running until they almost crashed into a sudden dead end.

"Where did this come from?" asked Jack, scowling at the brick wall.

Ralph cursed. "Do we go back?"

"And meet Snape? No thanks," replied Jack with a scowl.

"Well, then _you _come up with something!" argued Ralph.

Jack snarled. "Oh, be quiet!"

"Over here!"

Jack and Ralph whirled around and froze when they saw an auburn haired girl around their age beckoning them to her hiding place behind a panel on a wall.

Ralph shot Jack a look, and Jack shrugged. He was not about to question a hiding place when he needed one most. He pulled on Ralph's green robes and rushed toward the girl, skidding to a stop and not even taking a good look at her face before slipping into her hiding place.

"Thanks," he told her when she'd slid the panel closed.

"No proble- _Daniel?_" she asked incredulously.

Jack took a second to register she'd called him by his second identity's name. He took a closer look at her… auburn hair, green eyes, faint freckles dusting her nose…

"Kristen?" he asked. "Kristen Black?"

"Um, hello?" said Ralph, waving his hand. "Am I missing something here?"

Jack ignored him. "What are you doing here?" he asked Kristen.

Kristen gave him a look. "Well, hiding, obviously…"

Jack's palm connected with his face. "Not here _here. _I meant _here _as in _Ebur. _Under attack?"

Kristen scowled at him. "I was being sarcastic. And if you must know, I have family in Fatura; I was just passing by Ebur to get there. The attack was not part of the plan. I got separated from my family a while ago and I didn't feel like getting killed, so I hid here."

"Am I invisible?" cried Ralph with some indignation.

Jack and Kristen looked at him. Jack was scowling. Kristen seemed amused.

"I'm Kristen," she introduced herself. "But call me Kristy. I met Daniel here two years ago during winter break. Who are you?"

Ralph sent Jack a dirty look, as if saying, '_Not Adonis my foot!'_.

"I'm Ralph. Daniel's cousin on his dad's side. I live in Marmor but I'm spending winter break with him this year. It's my first time in Ebur."

Kristen winced. "Lovely first experience you got. The first time I was here, most that happened was Emperor Hakan's death."

"I knew it was you foreigners that brought disaster to this country," joked Jack dryly, which earned him mild glares from the other two.

The building shook and all three fell to the floor.

"Was that an explosion?" cried Ralph, looking wildly around him.

Jack kneeled and pressed his hands to his temples. "Welcome to Ebur."

Kristen sent him an exasperated look. Jack smiled grimly at her. "How's Socks?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "She's fine, thank you. She wears the collar you bought for her all the time."

Ralph looked from Jack to Kristen and back. "I'm not even going to pretend I know what you guys are talking about."

"Good," said Jack, slapping his cousin's shoulder. "Now get up. We can't stay here."

Kristen's eyes widened. "We can't go out there! We'll get killed!"

"We'll get killed here, too," argued Jack, already on his feet. "If this building collapses, we're as good as dead. Even if we survive the cave in we'll be trapped… no one will come looking for us for days or even weeks. We wouldn't starve, but we'll die without water. Now move out!"

Ralph and Kristen exchanged a look but followed Jack out of their hiding place all the same. The Dark Heir slunk past the panel in the wall and gave the other two the 'all-clear' before they followed him. Now that Snape was gone, he could retrace their steps and find a street he recognized, and then find his way to Alfredo's.

He found the main street and remembered he had to turn right if he wanted to go to the restaurant area, but he would have to cross the main street to get to Alfredo's. Better get that out of the way first.

"Across the street," he called to the other two. They nodded their heads with grim determination. It seemed Ralph and Kristen were not the type of people to loose their cool at the first sign of danger. He nodded back at them, feeling like he was commanding an assault team.

There were no openings among the fighting bodies, so they would have to move fast and do their best not to loose each other on the way. Jack took off at a sprint when he saw an Urgal fall dead, deciding that going to a spot where wizards were winning was their best shot.

An Urgal smaller than its companions, but enormous all the same, saw the trio dash across the street and lunged at them.

Jack reeled back from the shock of the enormous creature jumping in their path and felt Kristen collide with his back. He heard her gasp when she saw the monster and felt her retreat a little out of fear, but still she remained close enough to keep him company. He scowled at the creature and adopted a more threatening stance, looking for the monster's eyes. He located them almost at the very top of the head, aimed, and shot a stream of fire from his fingertips, burning and blinding the Urgal, making it howl and rave with pain.

He snatched Kristen's wrist and pulled her forward. "Come on! Run!"

She didn't need to be told twice.

Ralph sprinted after them, face white. So far, his first time in Ebur wasn't going all that well.

Jack led them away from the main street at full speed, dodging screaming bodies, fights, Urgals and wizards alike. He kept a lookout for his father, or _her _father if he was here, or anyone who would know what to do or where to go, but it seemed they were alone in the middle of this chaos.

"What do we do?" she called into his ear so he could hear her above the thunderous noise around them.

He stopped in a less crowded spot of the street and turned around to face her with a bit of panic. "My father told me to meet him at a restaurant, but…" He shot a glance at the spot where Alfredo's should be. "… it seems like someone felt like blowing it up."

Ralph peeked at the spot over Jack's shoulder and grimaced. "This is not good. Not. Good."

Jack growled. "You're telling me…"

"What do we do then?" cried Kristen with a bit of desperation. "If they're blowing up buildings here, then we can't stay."

"Yes, I know!" replied Jack angrily. He bit his lip and shot a glance at the screaming people. "We may have to go to the darker side of Downtown."

Kristen's eyes widened. "Are you out of your mind?" she yelled at him. "We can't go there!"

Jack scowled. "Yes we can. It's our best shot. It wasn't attacked in the raid from two years ago; why should it be attacked now?"

"Do you know the kind of people we could find there?" she yelled at him. "Thieves, murderers, Dark wizards!"

Jack suddenly had the unexplainable desire to laugh. Oh, the irony!

"I hope that's all we find there," he said darkly instead.

Kristen gazed around at the screaming mob surrounding them, and the Urgals killing people left and right. "Fine then," she said at last. "Lead the way."

Jack turned around and started going back. He wouldn't cross the main street again, it was no use, but he kept glancing around to make sure his father wasn't in the area. He had to admit that he was risking a lot by leading Ralph and Kristen to the darker alleys, but it was either that or having a building collapse on them like it had happened to him on the first raid, and this time there was no Paris around to save their necks.

They went back to running down narrow alleys where Urgals wouldn't fit. Jack led them away from the noise of the fighting until it became a faint whisper and then disappeared completely. It was still early, but there was an oppressive darkness pushing down on them that got heavier the further they walked into the dark side of Downtown Ebur. The streets were like a maze in here, and had he not explored them as an errand boy three years before, he knew they would have gotten lost.

"_Daniel_," said Kristen suddenly, snatching his shoulder. "I think we better go back."

Jack shot the hand on his shoulder a look and then followed Kristen's line of vision. A gang of drunken men were cheering on a couple of fighters rolling on the floor, punching each other's brains out. The guy that looked like the leader, a blond with spiky hair, was throwing a couple of wands into the air and catching them again.

"Common criminals," said Jack to the other two, eyeing the gang. "I think I've seen them before, years ago," he added, remembering his days as the errand boy that went by the name of Gorrión. "They think very highly of themselves because the local mob hires them to do their dirty work, like stealing, kidnapping, smuggling or killing, but the mob couldn't care less about them. Let's get out of here."

Ralph shot his cousin a frown, wondering how on earth Jack could know so much about the Underworld's inner workings. But then again, his father had practically ruled the Underworld at some point.

Jack took Kristen's hand in his and pulled her along behind him, beckoning Ralph to follow them. They hadn't walked five paces when Ralph bumped into a rubbish bin when he wasn't paying attention to the floor, and the top clattered to the ground with a sickening metallic rattle.

"Bravo, Ralph," muttered Jack with a wince. He didn't dare look back… those drunkards might be, well… _drunk_, but he was sure even they would have heard that. He didn't have to turn his head to know they were looking at them.

"Oi! Wuz tha'?"

"Hoose there?

Jack cursed softly and tugged Kristy's hand. "Come on," he whispered to her. "Come on, we have to run!"

Kristy looked over her shoulder at the gang that had already started following them and gave a soft '_Eep!_' before she felt Jack pull her hand and drag her behind him at a run. She managed to grab a fistful of Ralph's robes and pulled him along behind her, so the three managed to get a head start before the gang noticed their 'prey' was getting away.

"Get back here, brats!" called one of them at the time he threw a bottle at them.

"This ain't yer territory, filth!"

Jack scowled. "Creative, aren't they?" he commented off-handedly to Kristy.

Kristy gave the back of his head a strange look. "How can you think about that at a moment like this?" she asked him.

Jack shrugged as best he could while running. "My mind doesn't work coherently when I'm running away!" he replied.

She rolled her eyes at him and sped up to match his strides. "What are we going to do, genius?"

"You're ignoring me again!" called Ralph from the back. "Would you please quit doing that?"

Jack growled and was about to snarl at his cousin when he caught sight of a barricade in front of them and skidded to a halt, feeling Kristen and Ralph crash into his back as he did so. He turned around to retrace their steps but found that the rest of the gang had caught up and were closing in.

'_Half of the gang must have split off at some point and caught up with us through a parallel alley_,' he thought with a grimace, eyeing the barricade. "I should have foreseen this," he grumbled out loud.

Ralph and Kristen gave him worried looks before pressing their backs against his so none of their backs was left unprotected. Jack didn't know about his companions, but at least he was carrying his wand, and should worst come to worst, he could always use the lid of any of the rubbish bins around them as a shield. Yeah, like _that_ would work…

The leader of the gang stepped forward with a maniacal cackle and pulled out a wand. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

"Intruders!" cried one of the men, punching the air.

Some of the others started making noise and chorused, "Intruders! Intruders!"

The leader raised his arms, silently asking his gang to quiet down. "Now, now, gentlemen, we wouldn't want the authorities showing up, would we? Though how they'd think that three brats are more important than bringing the raid under control is beyond me."

Jack scowled. Of course the guy had to tell them no one would come to save them. Not that they weren't aware of it already…

As if on cue, the leader and two gang members surged forward and pulled the trio apart in spite the three children's protests. Ralph kicked at his attacker and Kristen tried to elbow hers, but the men had experience with struggling victims and brought them down to their knees.

"Get your paws off me!" Jack snarled at the leader, twisting out of the man's grasp. The leader didn't seem amused.

"Some bratty aristocrat thinks he can order us around, neh?" the leader snarled back. "Showing off for the little girlfriend, are we?"

"She's not my-!"

"He's not my-!"

Jack and Kristen both stopped abruptly when they noticed they had denied the claim at the same time, making the gang erupt in gales of laughter.

"That's what they _ALL_ say!"

"Hea', hea'!"

"Fancy a walk in the park, dahling?"

"They're so cute together!"

"She'll be havin' his kid in a couple years, I bet!"

Jack and Kristen blanched at the last statement before they caught each other's eye and looked away, blushing and pointedly avoiding looking at each other.

Jack glared at them, flush and all. "Knock it off," he snarled at them, seeming braver than he felt.

The gang burst out laughing at his attempt at intimidation –pretty much the way his father had, but crueler.

"The runt thinks he can scare us!" cried one of the drunkards, pointing a mocking finger at Jack before he collapsed into a laughing fit again. "You're nothing but a filthy brat!"

"You know wha' happens to filthy brats?" one of the gang members asked, drawing a long knife and caressing Ralph's neck with its blade. Ralph visibly paled and swallowed. "We eat them!"

More laughter.

Jack winced. He was seriously beginning to regret his decision of leaving the Main Street, instead of sticking around the area and waiting for his father to show up, exploding buildings and all. Leaving had been a wild gamble that hadn't exactly ended well. He was going to pay, and he had dragged the other two into this.

"Let's give the runt a token of our appreciation, shall we?" Blond-hair said to the others, earning himself a few appreciative chuckles. "Who wants to hear the runt scream?"

For a moment, Jack forgot himself and stepped back with wide eyes. The gang had gone wild, cheering for their leader as if he were a hero and Jack were some sort of despised villain who had caused great amounts of pain and suffering to many people. Ralph and Kristen were still being held down by their respective attackers, too stunned to struggle any more.

"How shall we start?" thought the leader out loud, caressing his wand. "With a bang, maybe?"

The gang members began shouting suggestions right away.

"Torture him, boss!"

"Cut his fingers off!"

"Burn him!"

"The Cruciatus!"

Jack's hand inched closer to his concealed wand when he saw the leader's eyes take on a sadistic gleam. The Unforgivables were not supposed to have counter courses; he would have to move faster than the adult if he wanted to live through this one. He would have to count on the leader's drunken state.

It happened nearly at the same time, however. Jack lost a fraction of a second since he had to pull out his wand, whilst the leader already had his in his hand. The Cruciatus curse and Jack's _Confringo_ just missed each other in midair, and while the leader could dodge Jack's curse, Jack knew that if he dodged the Cruciatus then the curse would hit either Ralph or Kristen who were standing right behind him.

He managed to profusely curse his soft heart before the curse hit him square on the chest and knocked him off his feet.

_Pain._

He had no idea if he was screaming or not, he just wanted the pain to end. He couldn't even describe what he was feeling... it was like being whipped all over again, harsher than ever, like his skin was being torn off. He'd had a taste of the Cruciatus Curse once before, some years earlier at the hands of another gang, but he couldn't remember it being this painful. Every bit of his body was on fire, and the flames were not dying down.

After what seemed an eternity, there was a flash of green light somewhere and it took Jack a moment to register the pain had stopped. Tremors still went up and down his spine when he tried to stand up.

The first thing he noticed was that the gang had scattered and was in the process of making a hasty exit. The leader was on the floor, possibly dead, and a few more of the gang members seemed to have followed his example. Ralph and Kristen were suddenly at his sides holding him up, apparently knowing he was too weak to support himself at the moment, and dragged him out of the line of fire.

"It's your dad," mumbled Ralph in Jack's ear, looking fearfully at the aforementioned adult. "I think he heard you scream."

"Who didn't?" asked Kristen darkly, inspecting Jack's paler than usual features with concern.

Jack shook his head and tried to shake them off. "I'm fine," he croaked. So he _had_ screamed after all…

Ralph scowled at him. "No, you're not! You should look at yourself! Actually, your godfather should have a look at you... he's a Healer, isn't he?"

"Yes?" mumbled Jack tentatively.

"Yes," confirmed a second voice, stronger, older.

The three youths looked up and saw Diego had arrived at the scene and was distastefully eyeing the body of a man he had just downed. "What happened?" he demanded.

Ralph left Jack's side, trusting Kristen to catch his cousin if he faltered, and jogged up to the brown haired adult to ask for help. Before anything else could happen, though, Tom had rounded on Jack and Kristen and she let out a soft gasp.

_'It's your dad,'_ Ralph had said.

"I can explain!" cried 'Daniel', looking at his father and lifting his palms in a peace making gesture.

But Kristen didn't hear him. She couldn't. The only thought that filled her head was that _Daniel McKnight's_ father had red eyes.


	26. Until We Meet Again

**A/N: **I know it's late but… Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!!!! (And happy birthday to me xD)

I lost the flow somewhere along the way… took me a while to get it back, and I even started a new story. Shouldn't have because now I won't be able to concentrate on all of them, but they're linked so… yeah… it took me ages to finish this one.

Now that the parties are finally at an end…. I could finally sit down and finish writing. Came out as the longest chapter yet.

My cat's sitting on my lap. He says 'hi'.

* * *

**Chapter 25 – ****Until we meet again…**

* * *

Jack took a step back when he noticed how utterly _pissed_ his father was. He'd only seen him this angry when Death Eaters failed to carry out a task and this kind of anger usually ended with a Cruciatus curse. He had failed to notice Kristen, for what he was thankful, but now Kristen had seen his father's red eyes.

She wasn't a stupid girl, and Jack liked her for it, but that meant she had put two and two together, and now she was looking at Jack as if she'd never seen him before.

"You… you lied," she stuttered softly, and Jack hated seeing the horrified look on her face. "I _knew _I had seen you before, all those years ago… you- Daniel-you're not…"

Jack lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. "It _is _me," he told her, begging her to understand and shooting a glance at his seething father. "Its- Kristen it's me! Just with a different name, but I haven't changed!"

She shook her head slowly and backed away from him with her eyes nailed on the Dark Lord, deeming him the biggest threat.

'_Of all the times to be away from Mum and Dad,'_ she moaned in her head, taking in the dead gang members, the two men and the two boys.

_Daniel…_

He'd been nothing but a lie. The charming, brave, chivalrous –sometimes cocky- boy who had saved her didn't exist. She was completely alone at the mercy of the Dark Lord. She was going to die.

The realization nearly brought tears to her eyes, but she refused to cry in the face of this monster. She would never see her parents again, or her siblings, or Luke, or her friends, or Harry… oh, Harry! She would never graduate from Hogwarts, she would never be a grown-up, she would never have a job, nor have her own family with a man she loved… her name would be engraved on a memorial like Jack Riddle's was.

The Dark Lord was yelling at his son. Maybe she could make a run for it while he was distracted?

'_Well, that was a silly thought,' _she thought to herself, looking around at the alley wall and the rubbish bins lining them. She was trapped.

"… ridiculous how you get involved with Light children!" Voldemort was snarling at his heir, who wanted to fight back but didn't dare to raise his voice at his father. "What are you going to do now? Expect Dumbledore to welcome you with open arms? Because you know what? If she lives, that girl will go straight to her parents, who happen to be Order members, and-"

"Her name is Kristen!" Jack finally yelled back, giving his father the strongest glare he could muster. "And she won't tell her parents anything, nor to any other Order member!"

Jack regretted his outburst as soon as it left his mouth. He shouldn't have stood up for Kristen this time. He barely knew her, and she wouldn't lose anything by betraying him. She had no allegiance to him, nor was she indebted to him in any way. He caught sight of Diego and was disheartened to see his godfather was not about to back him up this time. Slowly, his crimson eyes melted back into deep sapphire blue and he seemed to deflate. The unreadable expression on his father's face gave him a chill.

Voldemort closed his eyes and took in an inaudible deep breath. After a moment's pause he let out a chuckle that froze Jack's blood. This could only be bad.

In Jack's book, there was only one thing worse than 'pissed off Voldemort', and that was 'cold fury Voldemort'. When his father got like this, he was at his deadliest. No emotion clouded his head, he became mechanical, precise, a killer…

Jack took another step back when Voldemort opened his red eyes and fixed them on Kristen. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf.

"You're right, son," Voldemort whispered. "Kristen will not be telling anything to anyone because she won't be leaving this alley alive."

Jack's eyes widened and he sought out Ralph for support, but the other boy was pale and wouldn't dare to stand against a full-fledged Dark Lord. Sure, Ralph was loyal to him, but he was also a descendant of Slytherin and had a decent amount of self-preservation instinct. He was alone against the killer his father had become.

Voldemort pulled out his yew wand and Jack shook his head weakly. Kristy sagged and would have fallen to the ground if not for the wall holding her uptight. Voldemort pointed his wand at her, no emotion on his face.

"_Avada Kedavra_," were the words that left his mouth.

It was as if the world had gone into slow motion. A bright green light flared at the tip of Voldemort's wand and flew at her painfully slowly. She closed her eyes, not wanting to see death in the face.

She half-expected her life to flash before her eyes, but it didn't. Instead, something utterly bizarre happened. She heard a jarring metal explosion and not one second later felt a body collide painfully with hers, winding her and making her fall.

Her eyes flew open and the first thing she saw was the Dark Lord's horror-struck face. She then lowered her eyes to look at her saviour and felt her heart fall to her feet.

_Jack…_

She clutched a fistful of his black robes and shook him. He had landed across her legs, facedown. His hands were bloody and burnt, and just a few paces from them laid the charred remains of what had once been the lid of a rubbish bin.

Kristy gasped. The Killing curse was not supposed to leave a mark, and if the state of Jack's hands was anything to got by, then the curse hadn't touched him, but it had destroyed the lid. He was knocked out… Jack was _alive_.

She rubbed desperate circles on his back and shoulders trying to make him react, all the time calling the name she now knew belonged to him. "Wake up, Jack! Jack, please wake up! You can't die like this, not now. Jack!"

She looked up when the black haired boy didn't respond, and her eyes landed on Voldemort. His wand was gone and he had taken a step forward. She gasped when she noticed his eyes weren't red anymore, but a sharp green, before looking down again and clutching the boy closer to her.

"Please wake up," she whispered into his ear, feeling the slight rise and fall of his chest. "Don't leave me here alone…"

"Son," she heard Voldemort's voice call evenly, as if ordering him to get up. "Jack…"

As if he'd broken a spell, Jack's eyes fluttered open and he turned his head to have a better view of his father.

"You never call me that," he croaked. "Unless you're being serious," he added, blinking slowly. Gently, he disentangled himself from Kristen and pushed himself up, wincing as he did so. The snow was cold and his hands were raw. "But I won't let you touch her," he snarled at the older wizard. "If it weren't for her, I'd be halfway to Hogwarts by now. You owe her that much."

"What?" cried his godfather, speaking for the first time. "Why?"

Jack sat up and settled down beside Kristen. He would have stood up and moved away, but his body was still waking up from the heavy blow. "Snape was here," he said darkly. "He knew I was alive even before he saw me. He used Ralph as bait to lure me out-" he stopped abruptly and hissed in pain. He lifted his hands to eye-level and inspected the bruising. On his right arm, a burn extended from his fingers to his forearm; on his left it was the back of his hand that was burnt; the knuckles of both hands were split where the metal had bent the wrong way; his smashed fingers wouldn't respond; his sleeves up to his elbows were in tatters.

Kristy's eyes widened. "Your hands!" she cried softly. She hadn't been able to take a proper look at them until now.

"Small price," muttered Jack, shooting a suspicious glance at his father. "The Killing Curse," he told Tom. "You have to mean it. If you really had, the mere lid of a rubbish bin wouldn't have protected me."

Tom's face remained impassive but he pulled out his wand again. Kristen flinched back and Jack leaned on her, giving his father a warning glare. Tom rolled his eyes.

"I got it the first time, brat," he snapped with exasperation. "If you are idiotic enough to throw yourself in front of a Killing curse with only a piece of thin metal as a shield, I think even Crabbe and Goyle would realize that you will not let me kill her, even if your anonymity is at stake," he growled with a unidentifiable glint in his eyes. "Give me your hands."

Jack scowled but obediently held out his hands anyway. Tom stepped forward and a spell and a blue light later Jack's hands looked considerable better. The intense burning was gone, at least, leaving behind a throb.

Tom inspected them from afar and nodded once. "Good enough. You'll need one or two potions to heal them fully but for now it will have to do. Now, on to important matters… where's Snape?"

Jack cradled his hands to his chest and blinked at Tom. "How should I know? I was trying to lose him."

Tom growled and looked at Kristen as if it were her fault. She lowered her face and to her horror blushed.

Jack grimaced. "I have his wand, though," he said defensibly. "He can't do much without it."

"That doesn't change the fact that he's seen you," called Diego, resting one of his hands on Ralph's shoulder. "And besides that, he knows that Ralph's related to you. This whole situation is too fishy."

Jack looked at his father, awaiting his response. His eyes had taken on a calculating glint. When he remained silent, Diego spoke again.

"I don't know about you_, _but to me this has 'Reuben Bloor' spelled all over it," he commented.

"My father?" asked Ralph, looking sharply up at Diego.

"Old school rival," muttered Tom absentmindedly.

Diego rolled his eyes. "As always, your talent for understating astounds me, Thomas."

Tom scowled at him, and Diego answered with a smirk. He squeezed Ralph's shoulder and gave him a grim smile. "Your dad used to believe himself above us, still does actually, and generally gave us a hard time-"

Tom laughed humourlessly. "And he says _I _have a talent for understating," he muttered.

"Fine then!" snapped Diego. "Long story short, your dad has wanted to quite literally kill Tom since the day Tom threw an Imperio back at him in fourth year."

"We'll figure out who's behind it once we get Snape," said Tom, cutting short Diego's storytelling. "Give me the wand," he ordered, reaching out with his hand but not sparing his son a glance.

Jack sighed and rummaged through his pockets until he found the wand that wasn't his and left it on his father's outstretched palm.

Tom closed his hand around it and started to walk away, still avoiding looking at the boy.

Jack frowned, hurt. "Fathe-"

"Diego, make a Portkey and get these three out of here," ordered Tom, speaking over Jack. "See that _he _gets the potions he needs to heal his hands. They better be _flawless, _Hawkins. As for the Black girl, we'll see what to do with her after we get Snape. Meet me by the eldest memorial when you're done."

"Heil Hitler," muttered Diego sarcastically, shooting the retreating back of his friend a sardonic look. Tom, as was his custom, ignored him spectacularly and kept walking without looking back once.

Jack scowled at his father's back. "What's with him?"

Diego shook his head with a sigh and left Ralph's side to fetch a lid similar to the one that had saved Jack's life. "You know how he is, urchin. No one can ever tell what he's thinking or feeling. Although, I might have a theory," he added.

Jack made a face, trying to hide his curiosity. "Oh?"

Diego gave him a single nod and then beckoned the three youths to him. Jack grudgingly allowed Kristen to help him up, since in his book it was better to accept help rather than to fall down on your face again.

All three laid a hand somewhere on the lid and waited for the Portkey to activate. Jack took a chance to look around at last, and took in the scene his father had left behind. The leader and six gang members were dead on the ground. Jack hadn't even noticed when they'd fallen, or how, but it seemed the Killing curse had reigned today. He had to look away after a moment. He felt a little queasy by just looking at the dead leader's frightened face and glazed eyes.

"Where are we going?" he asked Diego quietly.

"Your house," he replied. "The potions you need are sure to be in the lab."

Jack began to nod and then the Portkey forcefully jerked them forward, making their shoulders bump with each other's until they reached solid ground again. All three children ended up on the ground just outside the gates of Riddle manor, Jack having given a soft cry since his body still stung from the Cruciatus.

Diego pulled him to his feet and ushered him and Ralph through the gate. "I'm Secret Keeper. I have to give Kristen the location," he explained when both boys looked at him strangely.

Kristy stepped back a few paces when the adult got closer to her. This man might not be the Dark Lord, but he was close to him, and that was reason enough for being mistrustful. The man, Diego was his name, rolled his eyes.

"I'm not Tom," he told her. "I'm a Healer, I won't hurt you; I have no reason to. Right now I need you to trust me, because the raid is surely still going on and we have to get inside the house before it spreads to the Inner Rings. There're two people inside, Maggie and Alfred, and a House-Elf, Nina. You can ask them for anything you need. Now come here, quick, so I can tell you the location."

Still suspicious, but knowing Diego was right about the raid spreading, she took a few tentative steps towards him and he finished covering the distance between them. He leaned down and stopped somewhere close to her ear.

"Riddle Manor is located in Number 27, Second Ring."

Kristy gasped as next to a forest and out of the ground grew a grand three-storey house. It had an impressive black gate surrounding its terrain, which was vast, with weeping willows and a path leading up to the front door. Jack and Ralph were no longer in sight, which meant they were probably waiting for them inside.

"Come on," said Diego shortly, beckoning her forward with his head and stepping past the gate.

Kristy shook her head to clear it and followed the man, self-conscious in her surroundings.

"This must be how Jack felt back in Hogwarts," she muttered to herself. "Trapped with no idea of what's coming next."

Diego heard her. "Is that how you feel?" he asked her.

Kristy debated whether to answer him or not. It seemed a pretty innocent question. "Sort of," she answered at last, as they climbed the first steps. "The difference is Jack didn't have to worry about Dumbledore killing him."

Diego laughed and held the door open for her. "You know, kid? I like you. And you don't have to worry about getting killed either. The urchin won't let us, anyway."

"Why do you call him 'urchin'?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Diego smirked. "Because it annoys the crap out of him," he replied simply.

Kristy shook her head and stepped through the door, thinking about how utterly insane these people were. "Wow," she whispered, taking in the foyer.

There were two grand wooden staircases leading upstairs, standing on opposite sides of the foyer and curving inward, like hands. Overhead hung a magnificent crystal chandelier. The walls were painted white. Broad windows let the sun in. Three grand arches positioned between the staircases led to the rest of the manor.

She must have had a rather silly look on her face because she heard someone laughing.

"I take it you like the décor?" asked a boyish voice. Riddle's.

He was leaning on one of the arches and giving her a smirk. Kristy gave him a blank look, and noticed Ralph was standing a little ways behind him.

"Go to the kitchen," ordered Diego, snapping the door shut behind him. "I'll pick up the potions from the lab and meet you there."

Jack merely glanced at his godfather in response and beckoned Kristy forward with his head. "This way," he told her.

She sighed with resignation and followed him into the depths of the house, looking around as she did so. It was very different from the houses she was used to, and she found she liked it. A lot.

The kitchen was just as nice, with its brick walls, iron-wrought appliances and heavy wooden beams across the ceiling. It was surprisingly welcoming. Not what she would have expected of a Dark family's home.

Jack caught the look on her face and lightly kicked a chair towards her. "That we're Dark doesn't mean we don't have good taste in indoor decoration," he answered the unasked question. "The stereotype of Dark British families, like the Lestranges, the Gaunts or the… _Blacks_, seems to have become a stigma for us. Sit down. Welcome home," he added with (yet) another smirk. Seriously, hadn't he ever learned to smile?

She sat down and Jack sat down opposite her, then Ralph sat down next to him. He hadn't said much in the time she had known him. He didn't seem to be too happy with her at the moment, though.

While they waited for Diego to come back, a sharp crack made all three jump a mile in the air.

"Nina!" cried Jack and Ralph in unison, glaring at a small shape that had come out of nowhere and was currently standing next to the table.

Trying to get her heartbeat under control, Kristy peeked under the table and saw the smallest House-elf she had ever laid eyes on. She was black-haired and grey-eyed, dressed with a white apron and white socks, a lilac skirt, and a matching bandana tied around her head just behind her ears. She was adorable.

"Nina is sorry, Master Jack," she apologized, bowing down repeatedly and looking at him with worry. "Nina did not mean to startles you, Master, nor your guests."

Jack slid down on his chair with a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, a habit he had picked up from his father. Nina's speech had improved dramatically since she had begun reading last year, but she still hadn't stopped referring to herself in third person.

"Nina, what have I told you about Apparating like that?" he asked her with a slight glower. "Maybe one day I'll get used to it, but guests won't. We really don't need our guests dying of heart attacks!"

"Leave her alone!" snapped Kristy at him with a glare.

Nina seemed to be horrified that this new girl was snapping at her young Master.

"No, Miss, it's okays, Miss," the little elf reassured her. "The young Master is right. Nina really shouldn't scare Master's guests."

Kristy's face softened. "You don't have to worry, Nina. I'm fine now, see? I don't mind a little scare."

Jack scowled at her. "Maybe you don't, but this house's usual guests aren't as amiable as you, if you get my drift. They'll most likely kick her or curse her if she startles them."

"You could still ask her nicely," glowered Kristy, a strange fire glowing in her eyes. "Her being a House-elf doesn't give you the right to yell at her-"

"I wasn't yelling," cut Jack indignantly. "I don't yell…" he added under his breath, more to himself than to anyone else, and as if he were trying to convince himself of that fact.

"Sure you don't," muttered Ralph darkly, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Jack for some reason.

Kristy sniffed disdainfully. "And I do get your _drift_," she told him, ignoring his last comment. Which was true… who else but Death Eaters and Dark sympathizers would visit the Dark Lord's home?

At that point Diego entered the kitchen carrying quite a few vials of different potions in his arms. He set them down on the table and pulled out three glasses. When Ralph and Kristen gave him questioning looks, he elaborated.

"I suppose your nerves are fried after today," he told them. "A calming draught will do all three of you some good," he added, uncorking a vial with clear liquid inside and pouring a small amount in each glass.

Kristy stared suspiciously at hers. Why would she take anything the enemy offered?

Jack was about to down his when he caught the look on Kristen's face. He rolled his eyes and put his glass back on the table.

"I can trade glasses with you if that means you'll take the potion," he offered dryly.

Without thinking it twice, Kristy pushed her glass towards the boy and he pushed his towards hers. She waited until he had drunk the liquid with a grimace because of the taste, and waited for after effects. He merely stuck out his tongue in disgust and glared at his godfather. Satisfied that she was not about to be poisoned, Kristy cautiously put the glass to her lips and drank. It was _disgusting_.

She coughed and pulled a face at the acrid taste. "When I'm older, I'm going to get a Masters in Potions and improve the taste of healing draughts," she vowed, glaring at the empty glass. "That was ghastly!"

Ralph had his eyes tightly shut and looked like he was trying to keep the potion down. "That's the understatement of the year," he gurgled.

Jack kicked him under the table. "Sissy."

Ralph made a rude hand gesture in Jack's general direction but didn't bother to open his eyes. Diego laughed at the trio.

"We'll see who the sissy is after you've taken the potion for the Cruciatus," he told Jack amidst chuckles. Jack glowered at him but accepted the refilled glass, this time with a bright blue potion.

To Nina's horror, the next minutes were spent laughing at Jack's expense, who still had several potions to take because of his wounded hands ("I can live with the scars!" "Your father said _flawless_!" "What's it matter!? They're my hands, not his! I'm not taking any more potion, damn it!").

Ralph was beside himself with hysterics. "You, sissy!" he told Jack, feeling considerably better since taking the calming draught. He had apparently regained his ability to speak and think.

Jack aimed a punch at him but couldn't deliver it because Diego held him back.

"Deal with the consequences of your actions, urchin," he chided his godson. "If you hadn't teased him in the first place, he wouldn't be teasing you now."

Ralph burst out laughing. "Are you serious? Look at his face! I don't need provocation," he stated proudly.

Jack gave Diego a dark look and the adult smiled back as an apology. "Alright, urchin. You can hit him now."

"Nah," scoffed Jack, sliding down in his chair. "My heart isn't in it anymore. Anyway, what's up with my father?"

Diego smirked. "I knew the curiosity was killing you."

Jack scowled and his godfather's eyes rolled Heavenwards.

"You're more like him than I thought," he complained, beginning to cork all of the vials. "Knowing him the way I do, I daresay he was scared," he said shortly. "Or haven't you noticed how he begins to get agitated when you're out of his sight for a long period of time? Nina, please take these back to the lab."

Jack's eyebrows shot up so high they were almost covered by his hair, as Nina took the vials and popped out of the kitchen. "He does?" he asked incredulously.

Diego gave him a look. "You are aware that a lot of people want you dead, aren't you? Your father might be a cold-hearted bastard, but he certainly doesn't want you to die, even if he's never said it. You should have seen him after your mother died and you disappeared. We were terrified the Black Swords had taken you."

The three young teens straightened up in their seats and began speaking at once.

"The Black _what_, now?" asked Jack.

"You disappeared!?" cried Ralph, looking at Jack.

"You had a mother?" asked Kristy, before realizing this wasn't the smartest thing to say. Thankfully, Jack didn't seem to have heard her. She wanted to hit herself. _Of course Jack had a mother once!_ He couldn't have just sprouted from a tree, could he? She had just thought that perhaps the Dark Lord had taken a child from another family or something, and then given him to the Death Eaters or Diego to raise… the idea of the Dark Prince having a mother who taught him to walk and talk was too alien to say the least.

Then there was the fact that they had been a complete family once –father, mother and son- and judging by their house, a fairly normal _rich _family, too. Or as normal a family could be with your father being the Dark Lord and your mother willingly sticking to him for some reason. Well… anger and scariness aside, Tom Riddle was exceptionally good-looking, so maybe…

'_Stop it, Kristen!'_

She had to berate herself to stop going down that line of thought. What was wrong with her? Sitting in the Dark Lord's kitchen, speaking to Dark wizards about what Voldemort might or might not be feeling, musing about Jack Riddle's parentage and drinking calming draughts as if Orion, Luke and her aunt weren't still trapped in the middle of the raid, probably looking for her or thinking she was dead. The mere thought felt ridiculous.

Diego looked a bit uncomfortable at Jack's question, possibly regretting his slip. "It's not really important who they are-_were_. Not so much anymore, anyway…" he muttered to himself with a dark look. Jack lifted an eyebrow at him and Diego shook his head in exasperation. "Really, urchin, it's just not something you should ask about. To anyone. It's in the past and there it should stay, that's what we fought for in the first war. But if you must know, the Black Swords were an elite group, like a secret police, bordering on terrorist. Their greatest victory would have been your death at their hands, but not a whisper of them has been heard of in about ten years," he reassured his godson when he saw the alarmed look on his face.

Jack relaxed slightly and frowned. "But judging by my father's reaction, he doesn't believe they're gone," he guessed.

Diego shrugged but looked uncomfortable all the same. He looked like he would like nothing better than to leave the conversation behind them. "I have to say I agree with him. They were very persistent."

Jack nodded. He knew he shouldn't press the matter, but he was half-Ravenclaw so… "So secret police, huh? What were you guys involved with back then? Why were they after you? Or me? Or better yet, how did you know for sure I hadn't been taken by the Black Swords when I-"

"That's enough, Jack!" snapped Diego, making all three children jump, Jack particularly. His godfather was a calm, quiet man. He never raised his voice or got angry, so for him to get upset over this subject meant a great deal to Jack.

"Go up to your room and wait until we get back," Diego instructed, getting up from the table still sporting a hard look. "Miss Black will have to be Obliviated, so enjoy your time here while you can. You won't remember a thing," he told her softly before starting to leave the kitchen.

Kristy paled. "Not even that Jack jumped in front of a Killing curse to save my life?" she called after him.

Diego stopped at the doorway and sighed. "That was after you found out about our identities. So no, you won't remember that either," he replied neutrally and left.

The kitchen's atmosphere suddenly darkened and the trio exchanged glances. Jack had a thoughtful little frown on his face, Kristen slumped in her chair and Ralph's sour look came back.

Jack waited until he heard the front door open and close before addressing his companions. "Let's go upstairs," he muttered, looking at the doorframe.

Kristy nodded numbly and Ralph didn't bother to answer. He was the first to stand up and exit the kitchen, seemingly not caring if the other two were behind him or not. They were, in fact, just behind him, but that wasn't all that important.

They entered the foyer and climbed the staircase on the left that would lead them to Jack's room and Ralph's guestroom. Ralph was in the lead, followed by Jack and then by Kristy. They had just reached the inside of Jack's room when, without explanation, without any kind of warning, Ralph whirled around and punched Jack in the face.

Jack's head turned from the force of the blow, his lip split. Feeling dazed and angry, he punched Ralph back with almost as much strength. Ralph was stockier and slightly taller than Jack, and as such, stronger, so while now Jack had a bleeding wound, Ralph merely had a reddening bruise on his cheek.

"What's your problem?" Jack yelled at him.

Ralph shot him a venomous glare. "You jumped in the path of a stinking _Killing _curse_, _that's my problem!" Ralph snapped back.

Jack scoffed. "What was I supposed to do? Let her die?" he cried, signalling Kristen with his hand. She was a bit shocked at the boys' display of aggression and wasn't quite sure what she should do.

"_Better her than you,"_ snarled Ralph in Parseltongue without really thinking, shooting Kristen a murderous look.

"_Better for whom?"_ snapped Jack in Parsel as well.

Ralph hissed at him with contempt and stormed out of Jack's room, stepping into his own across the hall and slamming the door behind him. Jack scowled at the closed door and let himself collapse on his bed, touching his split lip and repressing a wince.

Unsure of what to do, Kristen remained standing where she was. She shifted her feet and looked around, taking in the room properly for the first time. She had expected a huge dark room with a lot of green and silver accents, and snakes everywhere… maybe tapestries displaying Jack's bloodline hanging from the walls, but the Dark Prince had a pretty average living space.

Wide windows allowed sunlight to stream into the room, a mahogany desk littered with open books, parchment and quills –along with an army of bookcases- covered an entire wall. The queen-sized bed –covered by a dark blue quilt, not a green one- took up much of the space, there was a couch next to the door, a second door that Kristen presumed led to a bathroom, a walk-in closet, a school trunk, and an empty perch. The floor was made of dark, polished wood, and the walls were painted dark blue and fawn.

"You're a Ravenclaw at heart, aren't you, Slytherin?" muttered Kristen, taking in the lack of green in the room.

Jack stopped inspecting his throbbing hand –the one he had used to hit Ralph- and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What does the choice in colouration have to do with anything?" he asked a bit crossly, still in a foul mood. "I happen to like blue better than green, is all."

Kristen frowned at him. "Fine, it was just a comment. You don't have to snap at me, _Riddle_."

Jack looked up and scowled at her usage of his name as if it were an insult. "So just because you've found out I'm a Riddle and not a McKnight you're suddenly going to start being cross, too, _Black_?"

She gave him a cold look. "I happen to like my surname. Not that it matters, but it's even purer than yours, and _you're_ the Dark Prince," she told him, knowing it would rile him up. She didn't know why she was doing it, but today –saying good-bye to her parents, the start of the raid, getting separated from her family, finding 'Daniel', being chased by Urgals and a drunken gang, 'Daniel' being tortured, watching all those men being killed, coming face to face with Lord Voldemort, finding out Daniel was really Jack, almost being killed, her life being saved by the most unlikely person… and in just a few hours she would forget all about it.

It had been a trying day to say the least, and she wanted to blow off some steam. She was confused, she was scared, she was hungry, she was thirsty, she was worried, she was anxious, and despite him saving her life, she still felt betrayed by Jack and was going to let him know it.

As expected, Jack's face darkened and he sat up on his bed. "What does it matter to me how much purer your blood is…" he asked, feigning disdain. "…when my ancestors are far more impressive than yours?" he finished with a slight sneer. Hades, what was wrong with him? He sounded like a Malfoy!

Kristen gave him an ugly look. He was so bloody arrogant! "Say that to someone who'll care," she retorted.

He scowled but then his scowl morphed into a frown. "What's the point anyway? You won't remember a thing."

Kristen immediately recoiled and collapsed on Jack's sofa. She buried her face in her hands and let out a moan of frustration.

"I don't want my memories erased!" she mumbled through her fingers.

Jack rolled his eyes at her, trying to stop himself from being sympathetic. "Because I'm sure you want to remember how my father killed those men, or how I was tortured-"

"I don't want to forget you saved my life," she snapped at him, finally looking up. "An act like that… you have no idea how much hope that one act can bring to the Order-"

"Precisely why you have to be Obliviated," cut Jack, giving her a hard look. "That, and no one can know I'm alive."

Kristy sighed dejectedly, knowing there was no way around it. "Who's going to Obliviate me?" she asked him softly.

"My father, possibly," answered Jack. "He's better at memory charms than Diego."

"Small comfort," muttered Kristy darkly. "I don't fancy having your father pointing his wand at me."

Jack shook his head. "Don't worry too much. My father may be the Dark Lord, but he never goes back on his word. If he's already said that he won't kill you, then he won't. The worst that can happen to you at this point is that you stay living here with us."

Kristy scoffed. "And become a Death Eater later, right?"

Jack scowled. "Not if you didn't want to. Reluctant Death Eaters only cause trouble later. They desert or they turn against us. I, on the other hand, have no choice."

"You do," argued Kristy. "You could come with me, you could start again. Dumbledore would give you the chance."

Jack laughed humourlessly. "He wouldn't be giving me a chance. Taking me in would take a future enemy off his shoulders. If I were in his possession, he would be able to manipulate my father whichever way he wanted."

Kristy grew angry. "Dumbledore is not like your father! He's noble and kind, and he would never take advantage of anyone that way!"

Jack gave her a slightly disgusted look. "Don't you dare suggest my father is some sort of lowlife," he hissed. "Just because you grew up hating him, doesn't mean everything your precious Order told you is true!"

"He tried to kill me!"

"He was protecting me!"

"Some way to protect someone!"

"What would you have done?"

"I wouldn't have thrown a Killing Curse at a child for starters!"

"And sacrifice your own?"

"No one's sacrificing you!"

"Keeping you alive, memory charmed and all, is still putting me in danger because Memory charms can be reversed by powerful witches and wizards."

"Then why did you save me?"

"I don't know!" he cried finally, running a hand through his hair. "I-I don't know. I'm confused," he confessed.

Kristy sank into the sofa again with a look of bitter understanding on her face. "There are no heroes in the Dark Side, are there?"

Jack gave her a sullen look. "Not really. What I did was pretty stupid."

"It was brave and noble," argued Kristy.

"Stupid and reckless," insisted Jack. "I didn't think of the consequences."

"But I'm alive," Kristy told him. "And you're alive. Everything turned out fine."

Jack shot her a look of disbelief. "Fine? Everything turned out _fine_? Ralph just hit me, Diego keeps sighing and shaking his head at me, you're going to get Obliviated, my father won't even look at me, but everything is just _fine_," he sneered sarcastically.

Kristy scratched at the fabric covering the couch and averted her eyes. So maybe he was right… maybe she wasn't thinking things through…

She heard him sigh and risked a peek at him. He was staring out the window with a sullen look on his pale face. Looking at his profile, she realized he had inherited some of his father's finer features, like the straight nose, the high aristocratic cheekbones, the elegant way his hair fell on his forehead, the fine eyebrows… but his features weren't quite so angular; either because he was still too young or because his mother's looks were softer than his father's.

All of a sudden she began feeling guilty for unloading all of her frustration on him. After all, he had saved her life –even if it was on impulse- and had stood up against the Dark Lord for her. And how did she pay him? Being sour, that's how.

With a slight sigh, she moved to his bed and sat down beside him. He snapped out of his reverie right away and looked a bit alarmed at the proximity between them, but covered it up expertly with a suspicious look.

"What do you want?" he asked, narrowing his eyes and edging away.

She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

He raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked in disbelief. Why was she apologizing? What was going on here?

"I'm sorry," she repeated, this time looking up at him. "It's been a horrible day, and I just didn't know how to react, and I snapped when I shouldn't have, and you really don't deserve it –well, you do, actually- but not now. My point is," she began to clarify when she caught the look on his face, "you were just helping me and I was horrible to you. I'm sorry."

Jack studied her face with some suspicion for a while, trying to gouge if she was being honest or not. At times like this, Legilimency would come in handy…

"There's nothing to be sorry for," he said at last. "I did snap and sneer at you, too, so I guess that makes us even."

She smiled faintly at him before her smile vanished again and a small frown creased her forehead. "You're still bleeding," she informed him, staring at the split lip Ralph had left behind. "Here…" she added, brushing the left side of his lower lip with her fingertip.

Jack almost jumped back at her rather bold move but somehow managed to stay still. She got closer to get a better look at the wound and Jack stiffened, not really knowing what to do.

That was the position Alfred the butler found them in when he walked by the open door.

"I trust I am not interrupting something, Master?" he enquired in an amused tone of voice.

Jack and Kristen whirled around and came face to face with the old man leaning on the doorframe, his eyes twinkling like mad.

"Alfred!" cried Jack, jumping away from Kristy. "It's not what you're thinking it is!"

Kristy looked between Jack and the old man with some alarm. "What?"

Alfred stroked his chin pensively. "And what am I thinking it is, Master?"

Jack's mouth opened and closed several times but no words came out. When his mouth failed him, Jack resorted to hand gestures and body language, pointing at Kristen and at himself and shaking his head.

Kristy raised an eyebrow at him and Alfred's eyes twinkled with mirth. "I am afraid I cannot understand what you are trying to say, Master," insisted the old man.

Jack's hands dropped at his sides and he opted for glaring at the butler. "This is your revenge, isn't it, Alfred? You didn't like your hair pink, did you?"

Alfred sniffed theatrically. "Among other things."

Kristy looked confused. "Do I want to know?" she asked Jack, but he merely shook his head slightly at her and rolled his eyes.

"Listen, Alfred," began Jack, lifting a finger to make a point, "whatever you thought was happening, was not… you know… _actually_ happening."

"Yes, I'm sure," answered Alfred nonchalantly, pretending not to believe him. "And I suppose you got the wound on your lip in a fight, right Master?" he asked sarcastically.

Jack and Kristy exchanged horrified looks. He wasn't really suggesting that they…? Nah, it would never happen… it _couldn't _happen.

… Could it?

Scowling, Jack turned back to Alfred. "Lay off. Nothing happened. We don't even like each other."

At this, Kristy frowned. "What do you mean you don't like me?" she asked the young wizard with some venom in her voice.

Jack looked startled. "Well, I can't, you know? Because… well, I mean… you're good-looking, and you're smart… and funny when you're not snapping at me, but… er… you're, well… Light?" he finished with a slight wince.

She closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, trying to make sense of what Jack had said. "You don't like me because I sided with the Light?"

Jack shrugged. "I'm the Dark Prince, I'm not supposed to like you. Do _you _like me?"

"What does that have to do with allegiance?" cried Kristy, snapping her eyes open.

On the doorframe, Alfred chuckled quietly to himself and left the pair to themselves. They wouldn't be minding him now…

Jack smirked. "You're avoiding the question."

"And you're avoiding mine," said Kristy with a mild glare.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I asked first."

Kristy scowled. "You're such a child," she informed him after a short pause.

"So are you," Jack replied coolly.

They glared at each other for a moment before the redhead sighed and took a deep breath. "So what if you're good-looking or charming? You're still the enemy."

Jack's lips curled into a sly smirk. "So you get my point now. I can't like you, and you can't like me. We're squared."

"I suppose," she replied with a thoughtful frown. "Odd how you helped me anyway."

Jack sighed tiredly. "I thought we were past this?"

Kristy rolled her eyes. "Alright, alright," she agreed.

"Master?"

Both turned their heads in the direction of the squeaky voice and Jack sighed again. "Yes, Nina?"

Nina bowed at him. "Your father is backs, Master. He wants Master and the Miss in his study, Master Jack, sir."

Kristy blanched. "Already? I thought it would take him a bit longer to find Snape," she told Jack desperately.

Jack shrugged in response. "He's the Dark Lord, isn't he? I still don't get how he does it. He's scarily efficient."

"Thanks for the moral support," she told him dryly.

Jack made a face and stood up. "We better go," he told her tentatively, looking down at the floor. "He doesn't like to wait. Stalling will only worsen his mood."

Kristy winced at Jack's allusion that Voldemort was already in a foul mood but stood up as well, though slowly. She wasn't convinced by Jack's reassurance that Voldemort wouldn't hurt her now. You should never trust a Dark wizard, much less if they were Slytherins.

"What will happen to me once I'm Obliviated?" she asked Jack as she trailed beside him toward the staircase. He took on a thoughtful look and stopped at the railing.

"Maybe we'll look for your family and hand you back," he replied, eyeing her with one deep blue eye. "We don't really have the time or the energy to keep you captive," he confessed. "If we were still at war, though, we wouldn't be able to let you go. So long as your family never knows you were with us, we should be fine," he finished.

"Somehow that sounds improbable," she told him. "How do I know you're not just going to kill my family once we find them?" she asked suspiciously.

Jack closed his eyes. "You'll just have to trust us, then."

Kristy grimaced. _'Well, I don't,' _she thought bitterly, watching how Jack turned his back to her and began walking down the stairs. _'But there's no other way, is there?'_

They went back to the foyer but instead of taking her through the middle arch like he had before, Jack took her through the arch on the left. The whole scenery changed. There was no longer an entrance to the kitchen; there was a wide arch that led to a library, a big wooden door at the end of the hall, and a couple of closed doors. Jack led her to one of them and hesitantly raised his fist.

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't knock, but then he took a deep breath and his fist fell on the door. Lightly at first, but then his knocking became firmer, stronger. They heard a latch pop open and the door swung inward without a noise.

Kristy raised her eyebrows and made a show of leading Jack to the door. "After you, monsieur."

Jack shook his head at her and pushed the door all the way in. Tentatively, he stepped into the Dark Lord's study and beckoned Kristy forward.

"Father?"

The tall figure was standing in front of a window with his back to the door, gazing out into the forest that surrounded their home. Above the treetops, spires of smoke rose into the white sky. He turned his head slightly to acknowledge their presence, but other than that he made no other indication that he'd seen them.

Jack lowered his head and Kristy shrunk back. He noticed and pulled on her arm so she would be standing beside him. She shot him a reproachful look that he tried to ignore.

They stood next to the door for what seemed like an eternity, fidgeting with their robes and shooting each other questioning glances, before Voldemort finally called Kristy forward. When she hesitated, Jack gave her a little push and a meaningful look. She remembered he'd said that Voldemort didn't like to be kept waiting, and gave a few quiet steps forward hoping the Dark Lord wouldn't notice her.

"Closer, girl," he ordered, finally turning around and gazing lazily at the little redhead. "I don't feel like speaking to someone across the room," he added pointedly.

While Kristy shakily complied, Jack scowled at his father. So the man still had the nerve to act as if he wasn't in the room, eh?

Kristy resisted the temptation to look back at the black haired boy behind her, and forced herself to look at his father instead. He was still close to the window and appeared to be studying her out of boredom.

"I take it you have been told you will be Obliviated?" he asked suddenly.

Kristy flinched. "Yes sir," she answered quietly. '_Sir?' _where on earth had _that_ come from!?

Voldemort nodded at her once. "I must admit, you are taking it remarkably well. Better than expected, at the very least."

She shifted uncomfortably and tried not to play with her fingers. It was a nasty habit of hers that she repeated each time she was nervous. Why was Voldemort being so amiable? Something didn't quite fit…

"How-how much are you going to erase?" she stuttered in a small voice.

Voldemort lifted a fine eyebrow. "The memory charm does not erase memories, girl. It stores them in the deepest crack of our subconscious; that is why the charm can be broken. If you remember bits of what happened to you with us, you will only think it was a nightmare and nothing else before the memories fade back into nothing. As for how back I'll be taking you, you won't even remember you saw _him _at all."

Jack shrunk back at the venom in Voldemort's voice, at the disdainful tilt of his head in his direction when he referred to him. The anger and the disappointment in his father's voice were far worse than any punishment the Dark Lord could come up with in Jack's opinion. At best, it would take _months_ to earn his father's forgiveness. And if he knew his father, then the man would never forget the incident nor let him forget it.

"Where did you see _him_ the first time today?" Tom asked the small redhead.

Kristy glanced at Jack for guidance, but the boy was looking down in what appeared to be shame. She looked back up into Voldemort's glinting red eyes but couldn't hold his gaze for more than a moment, so she turned to a wall instead. "Outside a warehouse, right beside a dead end," she replied in a small voice. "I… I can't remember how to go back, though…" she trailed off.

Voldemort's fine features twisted into the beginning of an ugly look, and Jack took his chance to jump in.

"I can take us back, though," he announced. "I can backtrack our steps from Alfredo's. Well, ex Alfredo's… since someone blew it up…"

His father didn't acknowledge him but his face softened just a little bit. Jack felt like throwing something at him… preferably pointy.

Voldemort sighed inaudibly and leaned on his desk. "I will take you back there and then Obliviate you. A Stunning spell, and when you wake up you will only think you hit your head and fell unconscious for most of the raid. I will not even get close to your relatives if that is what is bothering you right now."

"We're not going to look for my family?" Kristy blurted out.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "As I said, things will play out as if you had never seen us. That includes waking up on your own at your own time. Finding your family is your problem."

"Father…" growled Jack, feeling a sudden protectiveness for the girl. "What if she can't find them? How is she going to fend for herself?"

Voldemort still ignored him and Jack understood the case was closed. Jack still wanted to fight, but pushing his father's limits at this point would probably end in Kristen's death. At least this way she had a chance.

Kristy shot Jack a quick glance before going back to looking at the wall. Jack sighed and looked away as well. If Voldemort noticed the exchange, he didn't say anything about it. Instead, he snapped out of his daze and stepped around his desk.

Kristy gave a few panicked steps back when the Dark Lord approached her, but he caught her wrist and she froze. She was so caught up in her situation that she barely noticed someone taking her other hand. She looked down at the linked hands and followed the other arm all the way up to find Jack giving her a level stare, as if telling her that everything would be fine.

Ironic, really… since it was him who'd said nothing was fine just a moment ago, in his room.

A moment later, she got the familiar feeling of side-Apparition and nearly fell on Jack when she felt her feet touch solid ground again. Jack let go of her hand and stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance.

"Watch it!" he snapped at her, annoyed.

Kristy scowled. "Back to our old selves, are we?"

"Quiet," ordered Tom, letting go of Kristy's wrist. "You're not in school."

Jack glared at his father and then took a look around. "This place is a mess," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. The restaurant was gone; the buildings around it were being consumed by flames that hitwizards were trying to put out. The sky was filled with smoke and hordes of red sparks, signalling where witches and wizards were trapped. The main street was full of Aurors, mediwizards and hitwizards running up and down trying to get to the survivors.

"The raid's over already?" asked Kristy, looking around in horror.

"Far from it," replied Tom, kicking a charred piece of something out of his path. "It just moved farther in. They are still looking, but they'll find nothing. Because what they're looking for technically doesn't exist."

Kristy furrowed her brows and gave Jack a questioning look. He sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What the heck, you're going to forget soon anyway…" he murmured to himself. Then louder, "They're looking for my body," he told her. "Obviously, they won't find it. Shall we?" He added, beckoning them to follow him across the street.

Kristy gave him a pained look but trudged after him anyway. Between her memories and her family, she would take her family.

As she followed the young wizard she began to recall the path they had followed to escape the raid. She remembered being attacked by one of those horned monsters just a few hours before in the very spot they were crossing at the moment. It seemed the alley had been literally turned upside-down, including the rescue effort.

Once they left the main street behind, the amount of people running up and down decreased. Kristy noticed that most were trying to locate the source of each fountain of red sparks. But what of the people who had fallen unconscious before being able to send a signal, she wondered? Would she be able to shoot a stream of red sparks before the Dark Lord stunned her? And if she did, would Voldemort make them disappear once she couldn't defend herself? Would Jack let him?

She glanced at him but he had his eyes firmly set forward, trying to recall which path they had taken in their desperation.

When she couldn't take the silence anymore she asked something that had been eating at her since Nina had Apparated in Jack's room.

"What happened to Snape?"

She heard the Dark Lord scoff and for a moment she thought he wouldn't answer, but to her surprise, he did.

"Severus went through something similar to what I am about to do to you, girl," he said nonchalantly. "I cannot afford Severus' death. Not in the long run, at least. I modified his memories, twisted a few facts so that they looked like the truth. He won't be a problem anymore. And neither will you."

He said it so casually that Kristy shuddered. Jack even slowed down his pace and looked back at Tom.

"We're almost there…" he announced quietly.

Kristy nodded sullenly and lowered her head. Slowly, Jack also turned his head from her and kept walking. He remembered running through these alleys with Ralph, trying to lose Snape. They should be arriving at a dead end soon.

"Is that your brick wall?"

Jack and Kristy looked up at the spot Tom was speaking of and had similar reactions. Jack winced, and Kristy shuddered, so Tom took that as a 'yes'.

"Where is this warehouse you spoke of?" Tom asked Kristy, noticing how she tried not to shrink back each time she heard him speak. Curious child…. And Jack? The boy was now refusing to look at him or acknowledge him at all. Served him right.

Kristy lifted her arm slowly and pointed at the building with the panel on the wall. Tom walked past the pair to inspect the area, leaving them on their own.

Jack was doing his best to avoid looking at her, his gaze pinned to her left shoulder when he spoke again.

"I suppose this is good bye," he muttered.

She sighed. "It's not fair. I don't want to forget."

"But you want to go back to your family, don't you?" he asked her, lifting his eyes to her face for a moment.

Kristy nodded. "I just wish there was another way, even though I know there isn't," she added, noticing Jack was about to correct her. There was a short awkward pause in which they heard Tom muttering a few spells on the wall Kristy had pointed at. "Do you think we'll see each other ever again?" she blurted.

He looked up at her, surprised. "You mean you'd like to see me again? Even though I am, well… who I am?"

Jack's question made her realize what she had just said and she froze. Did she really want to see him again? He was the Dark Prince… he would become a murderer one day for sure, and that was probably the only reason why Voldemort kept him around. After all, wasn't it common knowledge that the Dark Lord couldn't love? Why else would the Dark Lord put up with a child if not for his usefulness in the future?

"I… yes. I want to see you again," she replied softly. "Sometime."

If the situation hadn't been so serious she would have laughed at the look on Jack's face. He looked like a pale goldfish. He blinked a couple of times.

"Why?" he asked feebly.

Kristy shrugged. "I don't know. I shouldn't want to see you again, but I guess… you're just different. It's like taking a break from the Hogwarts type."

Jack was stunned. So she was serious? What was wrong with this girl? Maybe Dumbledore's tendency to give everyone a chance had gotten to her head…. He scratched his neck and looked away from her again. "I can't promise anything," he muttered. "What if the next time I see you we're both in our twenties and I'm trying to kill you?"

Kristy looked at him and burst out laughing. He scowled at her. "What?"

"That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard you say!" Kristy told him, sticking her hands in her pockets. "You wouldn't kill me," she informed him smugly.

Jack blew a strand of hair out of his face and frowned. "I did say _trying, _didn't I?" he scoffed. "Don't think you're so important that I'll actually have to kill you."

Kristy gave him a superior smirk. "Ah, but I will be. A lot of things can happen by the time we hit our twenties. And when you come looking for me, you won't be able to beat me."

Jack looked taken aback. "Are you crazy? I could kick you around blind-folded with my arms tied behind my back _and _without a wand," he stated matter-of-factly.

Kristy scoffed. "Wanna bet?"

"You're on," Jack said with a smirk. "If I win, I want your pride."

"Oh really?" she said venomously. "Alright. But if I win, it's your dignity I'll get."

Jack huffed and stuck his hands in his pants' pockets. "Fine."

"Fine," she agreed firmly.

"Are you done yet?" Tom called irritably, glaring at the pair.

Kristy froze. For a moment she'd forgotten they weren't alone and that they were really running out of time. She turned her head slightly to get a good look of Voldemort and winced at the glare he was directing at them.

Jack refrained from talking back but he did scowl. Kristy noticed the gesture and smiled slightly. Maybe there was still hope for him.

"Come here, girl," was the Dark Lord's command.

Kristy and Jack exchanged a glance before she began taking tentative steps towards Tom. The Dark Lord seemed to be quite irritated by this but refused to comment. He waited until Kristy opened the panel on the wall of the warehouse, stepped inside and turned around to face him.

When she did, she noticed Voldemort's face was just as impassive as it had been the moment before he'd almost killed her. Out of the (few) expressions she'd seen him do, she hated this one the most. She had no way of reading him if he was like this. All of a sudden, he smirked.

"Good luck finding your family," Voldemort told her sarcastically. "If they're not already dead, that is…. _Obliviate!_"

Jack's scowl deepened and he looked away when Kristy stumbled back a few paces due to the strength of the charm. A silent Stupefy later, he heard her unconscious body hit the ground and then ignored the fact that his father was already beginning to leave. Would he wait until Jack snapped out of his daze and Apparate them both away? Not likely.

Instead, he approached the warehouse to check on Kristy and frowned at the state she'd landed in. She had fallen on her side, her arm under her body and her auburn hair covering most of her face. He felt a pang of guilt for not helping her this time around, but really, he couldn't have been able to save her from this one even if he'd wanted to. From his point of view, her losing her memories was the lesser of two evils. Hopefully her family was still alive and would be looking for her.

A sole footstep behind him made him look back and he found his father had halted. Tom was still had his back to him, but Jack got the message. _I still don't want to acknowledge you, but that doesn't mean I want you to be alone here after a raid. Move it, brat. _He stepped back from Kristen's body and pulled out his wand in one fluid movement, listening to his father's footsteps as they started again.

Then, in a last act of defiance, Jack glowered at his father and shot red sparks into the sky to mark the place where Kristen was hidden. They wouldn't fade until an Auror or a mediwizard found her.

He gave the unconscious redhead a pained look and prayed to whatever deity was listening that the girl made it out of Ebur alive. It would be best for her if she just forgot about him, and it would be best for him if he just let her go.

"At least… until we meet again…" he whispered, a soft gaze trained on her.

With the ghost of a smirk, he turned on his heel and set out after his father, speeding up to match the Dark Lord's long strides.


	27. Royal Pains

**A/N: **Once again it's been ages since the last update. This time around I haven't even been able to sleep or eat properly because of college, but the story's coping. This chapter still managed to be 8000 words long, though.

Thanks to all the new readers and to those who put 'The Last Riddle' in their Favourites or Alerts Lists. It's very appreciated =)

**cosettex - **thanks a lot =P Voldemort is the hardest character I've ever had to write, actually... he's very complex and JK didn't say much about him, or contradicted herself, so I'm kinda flying solo lol as for Jack... he's a ladies man, isn't he? xD I'm also very happy you came back after so long!

**Kenzie - **Thank you =)

**krateee - **thanks for giving the story a shot! I'm honoured you think it's one of the best stories *blush* Jack's friends are mainly three: Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred, most others are acquaintances and can be considered secondary characters. He did have a couple of childhood friends, Audrey and Chantal, but they will show up mainly in the sequel =)

* * *

**Chapter 26 – ****Royal Pains**

**

* * *

**

The first thing Kristy noticed when she finally regained consciousness was that there were a lot of people in green robes bustling about. The second thing she noticed was that she was lying on a stretcher and that her head hurt. She then noticed she was wearing blue hospital 'PJs'. She let out a quiet moan and a witch in green robes bustled to her side.

"How are you, dear?" the mediwitch asked her kindly, resting a hand on Kristy's arm.

Kristy sat up, rubbed her eyes and gave the mediwitch a bleary eyed stare. "Where am I?" she asked. "What happened?"

"You're in the recovery wing of Belcaster Hospital," the woman replied. "You were found by a couple of hitwizards a few alleys off the Main Street. They brought you here and miraculously you weren't hurt, so we decided to bring you to this wing until you woke up," she explained. "Tell me, dear, were you with your parents before the raid?"

Kristy shook her head. "I came here with my cousin and my brother. We were going to meet my aunt once we got here."

The mediwitch nodded and conjured a clipboard, an inkbottle and a quill. "Very well. You're not from around here then… What's your name, darling? So we can post it in the list of survivors. Your family must be looking for you," she added, looking at Kristy and holding the quill a few centimetres over the clipboard.

"My name's Kristen A. Black," replied Kristy, watching the mediwitch scribble her name on the parchment.

"Age?"

"Just turned twelve last month."

"November then… alright…. Where did you come from and when did you get here?"

"Just arrived today. I live close to London, but I departed from Wales. We were just passing by Ebur. We were on our way to Fatura."

"How much can you remember?"

Kristy opened her mouth to answer and frowned when she realized she couldn't really recall much. "I… well, I can remember standing with my cousin and my little brother next to a memorial with a phoenix on the tip. Then we found my aunt and…." she trailed off and closed her eyes tightly, trying to bring back the memories. "And… I think we heard someone scream?"

The mediwitch peeked at her over the top of her clipboard and nodded at Kristy to continue. "What happened then, Kristen?"

Kristy shook her head slowly and grabbed a handful of the white sheets covering her. "I can't remember much… it all happened too fast. When we saw people running I grabbed my little brother's hand. My aunt tried to Apparate all four of us away, but she couldn't… I thought we were too many for her to side-Apparate, but she said something about wards and then tried to drag us away from the mob. They were too fast, though, and my brother and I got separated from my aunt and cousin... we called out for them and tried to find them through the people, but then someone cut through us and I let go of my brother's hand…. I…"

She paused and ran her hands through her hair. She'd let Orion go… she had been right next to him, held him and promised him that everything would turn out fine, that they would go back to England right away and find their parents… but she'd let go of his hand. If she closed her eyes she could still see his grey eyes looking back at her, believing everything she said, trusting her…

She snapped out of her daze when the mediwitch touched her shoulder and she flinched. The mediwitch took back her hand with a sympathetic look and gave her a sad smile. "Don't worry, dear. These things happen when people get scared… you lose sight of the people you're with, but you can always find them again."

Kristy sniffed and hugged her knees to her chest. She desperately wanted to believe this woman, but…

"What happened after you and your brother got separated?" the mediwitch asked suddenly.

Kristy sighed. "I fell down," she admitted, looking away from the woman. "I fell down and lost sight of him. Then I heard him call my name and I looked up. Some man had picked him up, probably thought he was alone, and carried him away."

The mediwitch continued to scribble and nodded as she did so. "He was probably trying to save your brother from being trampled. We got a lot of cases today… men, women, children and teenagers. Sadly the smaller children don't always make it, even with spells and potions and whatnot," she added with a heavy sigh. "It might have been a good thing that this man picked him up."

Kristy gave the older woman a helpless look. "But he's lost anyway. _I _lost him."

The mediwitch shook her head. "Don't blame yourself for that, darling. If you look at it differently, your aunt lost both you and your brother first. It was her responsibility to protect all of you."

Kristy grimaced and looked away from the mediwitch again. She just didn't understand! She'd betrayed her brother's trust, couldn't the woman see that? Her father had always told her that it was her job to look after her younger siblings, and she had failed. Such a simple task and she couldn't complete it.

"I feel fine. Can I get out of here?" she asked suddenly. She would find her brother, that was a promise. She would go looking for him right now, in fact.

The mediwitch smiled at her. "I'm sorry, dear. I still have some questions to ask you and then I need you to take a few potions. I cannot let you wander out of the hospital because your aunt will be looking for you, but I'm sure you can be allowed to hang out at the cafeteria. You must be hungry. Now, what happened next? How did you get to the warehouse?"

Kristy sighed with exasperation. "I don't know!" she cried. "I can't remember! Maybe the people dragged me there or something, can I just go?"

"What do you mean you can't remember?" the woman asked, a serious look on her face now. "If you can't tell me what happened afterwards then you might have hit your head harder than we thought. We might have to re-run some tests on you to check you're really alright."

Growling now, Kristy turned back to her and glared. "I was trying to reach my brother, ok? I thought that taking a parallel street would get me close to him a lot faster, but I got lost in the alleys," she replied gruffly. "It all gets fuzzy from there," she continued, lowering her voice to a whisper. "I think I remember seeing a boy… but I might have as well dreamt that. I ran a lot, I hit my head, and then I woke up here. I can't recall anything else, I swear."

The mediwitch pursed her lips and continued to scribble away. Merlin, it could get annoying….

"Very well, Kristen," the woman said at last. "Can you please describe your brother for me? He might even be here at the hospital."

Kristy took a deep breath and held back a sarcastic remark. At least they were getting somewhere now. "His name is Orion Sirius Black. He's ten years old, almost eleven. He's got black hair and grey eyes, and he's also a bit of a midget. He's thin and he was wearing Muggle clothes and a dark blue cloak."

"What about your aunt and cousin?"

"My cousin's older than me, he's thirteen. He's got strawberry blond hair and green eyes. He was wearing brown. My aunt looks a lot like him, but she was wearing lavender. Their names are Luke and Katyn Auvrea."

An abrupt halt in the mediwitch's scribbling made Kristy look up and her eyes met the mediwitch's stunned ones.

"Auvrea, you say?" the woman asked quietly. "As in the royal Elven line?"

Kristy blinked at the woman and nodded slowly. "Yes…" she answered, watching the mediwitch's reaction with interest. "That's why we were headed to Fatura."

The woman's jaw dropped open and for a moment she sat completely still in front of Kristy. It wasn't until Kristy made a questioning gesture with her head that the mediwitch snapped out of her trance and began bustling again.

"I am so sorry, dear-I mean, _Duchess!_" she apologized awkwardly, standing up and hugging the clipboard to her chest. "I couldn't recognize you, I really am sorry… one never expects to see, well… I should probably move you to a more secluded place, or a more comfortable room or-"

"T-that's fine," stuttered Kristy at last, startled at the mediwitch's reaction. "I mean, _I'm _fine_. _I just want to find my family, would you please help me?"

The mediwitch nodded fiercely. "Certainly I will, Duchess. I…" she seemed to hesitate and then started to glance around, apparently looking for something. "Your clothes should be somewhere here. I'll take you to a bathroom so you can change, you did say you feel fine, right? Then we can notify the Aurors you're here, and they will get you in touch with your family in no time. Come, come," she added, beckoning Kristy out of bed.

She led her away from the other recovering patients and out of the ward, where there was some sort of walk-in closet. The mediwitch went in and came out just a few moments later with a pile of clothes Kristy recognized as the clothes she had been wearing before she woke up at the hospital.

She took the clothes from the older woman and was left in a bathroom to change and freshen up, pondering all the time about the odd dream she'd been having before waking up. _'Funny,_' she kept thinking over and over. She could swear Jack Riddle had been in it….

* * *

Later she was sitting in the office of the hospital's Head Healer with a mug of hot chocolate in her hands and a cosy blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her mediwitch had taken her to her boss and explained to him who Kristy was. The Head Healer had seemed sceptic at first, but as Kristy described her family to him and her situation, he finally believed them and owled the Aurors. If it was true that the girl was a member of the royal family, then surely her government would have already sent their own forces to look for her and most probably they were in contact with Ebur's Aurors.

So, while the news spread that she was well and alive, she wasn't able to do anything but sit and sip her chocolate. It frustrated her to no end that everyone treated her like she was made of glass… she was used to falling down and scraping her knees, to climbing trees and falling, running after Harry on his many adventures, and being treated just like your average girl. Now she felt like a porcelain doll, and she still had to find Orion. The Head Healer had requested a list of every patient present at the hospital, dead or alive, but so far none of them had turned out to be her brother.

She was considering the idea of running away and looking for him herself when there was a knock on the door and the Head Healer's head poked in.

"Duchess?" he called softly. "I am sorry for the interruption but I have some good news for you."

Kristy's face lit up. She left the mug on the desk and turned around to face the healer. "Did you find my brother?" she asked hopefully.

The healer shrugged. "Not us, I'm afraid…" he admitted slowly. "Your country did send out some of its forces to retrieve you and your family as soon as they heard of the raid. They found your brother at Auror Headquarters in the second ring a few hours ago. Your cousin and aunt were the first they found. They have all been transported to Fatura's embassy here in Ebur. As it is, you were the only royal missing. Aurors and Elves have been looking for you all over with no results whatsoever. It is quite baffling how a couple of mere hitwizards found you when so many others couldn't. The elves swear they looked at the place where you were found several times, but to no avail. They say they and the Aurors covered most of the perimeter in the middle rings… they have no idea how you could have slipped through their radar."

Well, that sure was a lot of information to take in at one moment. Or at least that was what Kristy thought. What was more important, though, was that Orion was safe and so were Luke and her aunt. Of course those two would be the first the elves would save, them being closer to the throne than either Orion or her. Either way, she felt a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

She noticed the Head Healer was waiting for her reaction and she snapped back to reality. "Well, thank you, sir," she told him honestly. "Those are great news! When can I see my brother then?"

The healer visibly relaxed at her jovial tone and he gave her a small smile. "The elves sent a small advance guard to retrieve you. They are waiting for you in the lobby; they should be able to take you to your brother. That, and I was told you should not worry about the press; we have taken the precautionary measures necessary so you won't be assaulted by reporters."

Kristy gave him a dumbfounded look. An advance guard? The press? Surely she wasn't _that _important…. "I see…" she mumbled with a small frown.

The healer nodded at her. "Very well then. Please follow me, Duchess," he added, opening the door all the way and stepping aside to let her out.

Mug forgotten, Kristy dropped her blanket on her armchair and practically skipped to the door, where a couple of Aurors were waiting. Once she was outside she also noticed two black-robed wizards posted at both sides of the door, staring stoically ahead. Each was not only carrying his respective wand, but also had a sabre strapped to their backs. They looked _young,_ but something about their posture and their silence was terribly intimidating.

So much, actually, that the Head Healer could only manage a nervous grin at them before hurrying Kristy away with their Aurors in tow. She waited until she was sure they were out of earshot to ask him about them.

"Who were those?"

The Head Healer beckoned her closer and dropped his voice to a whisper so the Aurors wouldn't hear. "Apprentices. They will become Untouchables in a couple of years."

Kristy frowned. "What are Untouchables?"

The man sighed and seemed to be debating whether to answer her or not. "You do know we have hitwizards and Aurors, right? Hitwizards take care of common criminals, and Aurors of bigger threats," he surmised, waiting for a nod on her part. When she confirmed she knew this, he continued. "Well, there is a higher rank than Auror. They are part of the Department of Mysteries and we call them the Untouchables."

"Really?" asked Kristy with interest. "How come?"

The Head Healer shrugged. "They are really a more obscure branch of security. Like the Unspeakables, no one knows exactly what the Untouchables do. What we _do _know is that they work directly under the Emperor, rather than under the Ministry like their Auror counterparts." He then lowered his voice even more and Kristy had to strain her ears to hear him out. "Rumour has it," he whispered, "that their jobs sometimes require them to break the law, but they will never be punished by it. They are untouchable, hence, their name."

"What if one of them went rogue?" Kristy whispered back.

The Head Healer let out a low whistle. "A rogue Untouchable would be a very dangerous thing indeed. They know too many secrets. If one of them turned bad… well, then I think he or she would be killed by another Untouchable before irreversible damage could be done. I don't think an Auror could take one on."

Kristy nodded slowly, fearfully, and shot a glance at their Auror bodyguards. "But if they are so important, why were they guarding my door? Couldn't a couple of Aurors do?"

The man shrugged yet again. "I suppose it is because you are royalty, Lady Aleani. But then again, those two were only Apprentices. The real Untouchables…" he shivered. "… let's say I just wish I'll never have to meet one."

Kristy grimaced at the man's admission, wondering what in Merlin's name was it that scared the Head Healer so much. Weren't they supposed to be on the same side?

Once the lobby came into view, she held her breath at the sheer chaos in it. People were shouting out the names of their loved ones at the witches on the front desk, others were crying, Healers and mediwizards ran up and down through the crowd carrying potions and strange artefacts; new patients in various degrees of health came through the doors every second. She sighed in relief when a group of elves sprang forward to greet her. Among them was Marina, her mother's best friend. True to Kristy's vague memories of her, the Elven maiden sprung forward to greet her with a bear hug.

"Aleani!" the brunette cried, seconds before she collided with Kristy. "We were so worried!"

Kristy felt the air being crushed out of her lungs but didn't complain. "Hello, Marina," she wheezed instead, awkwardly patting the older female's back. "Long time no see."

Marina gave Kristy a last squeeze and then held her at arm's length. "I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to show so much affection to a Duchess, much less in public, but you're like my long-lost niece and I worry. Are you alright?"

Kristy nodded slowly. "Yeah. My head hurt a bit some time ago, but I had some painkillers and I'm fine now. How's everyone? Is my brother ok?"

"Yes, he is. Everyone is, thank the spirits," she replied above the noise, before addressing the Head Healer. "Thank you for your help, Healer Emir. It was much appreciated," she added with a polite smile.

The Head Healer nodded slightly and gave Marina a smile of his own. "It was no problem for us, my Lady. As a matter of fact, it was a pleasure I assure you," he said in response.

Kristy sighed. Adults and their mannerisms… they always took longer than necessary. She looked around the lobby while the adults discussed transportation, and she spotted the red-robed Aurors hanging back a bit, keeping back the crowds from her and her escort. The witches at the front desk were posting up names of the surviving and the dead, at the same time they tried to get the people under control to no avail.

She then spotted the two black-robed figures leaning on a wall, near the door she had come through. She recognized the Apprentices right away, even if no one else had. One of them was looking directly at her. She gave a start and turned back to Marina, who was already dismissing the Head Healer, who had to get back to work.

"Come, child," Marina told her, beckoning her closer. As Kristy neared, Marina fumbled with something in her robes and then held it out to the light. "Now, how in the spiritworld does this thing work? What is it, a Torkey? Wizards and their ridiculous transportation methods…" she cursed.

Kristy couldn't help a laugh and took the object from Marina's hand. "It's a _Portkey_," she explained the elf. "You place a finger on it and then it activates. It will take you anywhere you need to go so long as there are no wards against them present. Here," she added, holding out the non-descriptive object to Marina as well as to the other elves. "Place a finger on it and we should be able to take off."

There were four elves in total, including Marina, and they all looked uncertain. Kristy rolled her eyes. It was no secret to anyone that elves and wizards usually didn't get along, but not trusting transportation methods bordered on silly.

"It's alright," she coaxed them. "It may be a bit of a bumpy ride, but we'll get to the embassy."

Marina grimaced but she complied. Tentatively, she placed a finger on the object and beckoned the other elves to do so as well. "If the Duchess says so…" she grumbled reproachfully.

Kristy tried not to laugh at the pout on the elf's face, and tried not to puff with pride when the adults followed her instructions without question. Being a member of the royal family did have its perks after all...

When the last elf laid a finger on the object, Kristy felt the familiar tug under her navel and moments later the five were standing in a richly decorated atrium. She was proud of herself for only stumbling when they landed, rather than falling over, since none of the elves she travelled with gave a step out of place.

"Kristy!"

Kristy whirled around towards the source of the voice and gasped when Orion crashed against her but hugged him back nonetheless. He was saying something, but her own clothes muffled his words since he was pressed so close to her body. She laughed and pushed him a little off her, finally seeing him properly.

"Slow down, Orion," she chuckled. "Are you alright?" she asked him, eyeing him critically.

Orion nodded with exasperation. "Merlin, Kristen, I can take care of myself," he replied, rolling his eyes. "I'm fine; I was more worried about you. Where were you?"

Kristy smiled at her brother's antics and shook her head. "I don't know where I was, Orion. Last I remember was getting lost and hiding in the warehouse where I was found. But I'm fine."

"Good to hear," said Luke's voice from somewhere in the background. "We were bloody worried that something had happened to you!" he cried, pushing Orion aside and deeming it his turn to hug Kristy.

Kristy snickered and hugged him back. "Where's your mum?" she asked him.

Luke let go of her and shrugged. "She said something about arranging passage to Fatura and left us here to wait for you."

Kristy raised an eyebrow. "We're still going to Fatura after this?"

"I live there, remember?" asked Luke, rolling his eyes at her. "Seriously, it's good you're like… seventh in line for the throne. Fatura wouldn't stand for a day under your rule," he joked.

Orion burst out laughing and Kristy let out an indignant gasp. "I could rule a country much better than you, Lukan!"

"Doubtful, cousin," he smirked. "But maybe I could teach you a trick or two over _tea and biscuits_," he suggested playfully.

Kristy gave him a shove and walked around him, laughing. "Not now, though. I don't think the family will be dying out anytime soon."

Luke gave her a crooked grin and followed her to the back of the building, where Katyn was dealing with the border police. "Too true."

Within the very hour, Kristy's aunt arranged their travel papers to leave Ebur despite the chaos that had originated from the newest raid. News had reached them that the Urgals and their commanders had left Ebur's borders after ransacking part of the middle ring and, curiously, graveyards. Rumours were already running wild about what the purpose of the raid had been, and so far the government wasn't making any moves to quell them. Most people were afraid a war would break out since the raids had become more frequent. Others were angry with the Emperor and the Ministry for not foreseeing the attacks and preventing them, or at least making any progress in finding the culprits. Kristy, Orion and Luke were happy to leave it all behind them and just being in Fatura on time for Christmas Eve.

Somehow, they convinced the party of elves to take another Portkey, this time an International one, and they left Ebur in the blink of an eye. They were received in the same clearing as the last time by their very worried grandparents, Neddia, Feredir, and (to their utmost delight) Sirius and Megan, who'd brought five-year-old Paige along with them. As it turned out, the news of the raid on Ebur had spread quickly to other parts of the globe.

"You're never going through Ebur again!" cried Megan as she held her two children. "Both times we've been there something bad has happened, and it doesn't seem like it's going to stop. And you got lost…" she added looking at Kristy.

Kristy exchanged a look with Orion before looking back into her mother's frightened eyes. "But I'm fine, mum. I was found and nothing happened."

Sirius pried her from her mother's arms and held her at arm's length, like Kristy had done with Orion just an hour before. He eyed her critically before hugging her tightly. Kristy noticed Luke was receiving similar treatment from their grandmother, while her aunt and uncle spoke in hushed tones to her grandfather.

"What's going on?" asked Orion, a bit jealous at the attention Kristy was receiving from their father. "What's with grandpa's face?"

Megan shook her head. "I don't know," she replied. "But if you excuse me, I must go over to murder my sister," she growled, patting Paige's head as she left.

Paige caught the look on her older brother's face and held his hand. "I was very worried about you, Orion," she informed him solemnly.

Orion looked down at his little sister and smiled slightly at her. "Thanks, Paige."

"Tersias is coming!" announced Luke, walking towards the Black family. "Father says we should wait for him at the palace."

"Who's Tersias?" asked Orion.

"Emperor Tersias," clarified Luke. "Ebur's Emperor. He wants to speak to us about the raid, it seems."

Orion exchanged yet another look with Kristy, and Sirius nodded at Luke. "Get inside the carriages, then. It's cold here as it is."

Luke jumped into action right away, Kristy and Orion following behind him. Sirius took Paige's hand in his and stirred her after the others. Luke hopped into a carriage with his parents and sister, as well as their grandparents, while the Black family occupied a carriage only for themselves. Megan wrapped her arms around Orion as soon as they were all seated and the carriage door closed behind them.

"Why would Tersias come here?" Kristy asked her mother, since she'd spoken to her grandfather.

Megan sighed. "Your grandfather says he wants to apologize. That, and I suppose Tersias doesn't want to lose Fatura's neutrality over this incident because the royal family was involved."

"But why would we think that Tersias would want to cause us any harm?" peeped Orion, looking at his parents with confusion.

Sirius exchanged a look with Megan. What innocence entailed…

"The world is a strange place," Sirius told him at last. "We don't really know this Tersias. He assumed power just a couple of years ago remember? The last time we were in Ebur. Tersias' father had been trying to assert an alliance between Ebur and Fatura in case of a war, which seemed imminent some years ago, but Fatura doesn't want anything to do in a wizards' war."

Megan nodded. "Tersias might be afraid that we'll take the raid as revenge on us for refusing his father and declare war on Ebur or something," she added, stroking Orion's hair gently. It was a sign of how relieved he was of being with his parents again that he didn't push Megan away.

Kristy let out a low whistle. She would never understand the world of politics. Maybe it was better that she was seventh in line for Fatura's throne, after all.

A few moments later the carriage came to a jumpy halt and the door swung open. Marina stood there, looking at the people inside solemnly.

"Emperor Tersias is already within our borders," she told them. "He should be joining you in the meeting room shortly."

Megan smirked at her. "Some more formality, Marina, and I might begin thinking that you're finally getting on in years."

"Not appreciated, Alkdilien," quipped Marina dryly, stepping aside to let them through.

The palace was just the same, and like the first time they'd been here Marina led them to the meeting room right away, except this time there was no one waiting for them there. They were seated at the long table according to their rank, with Kristy's grandmother sitting at the head, her grandfather to her right, and then Luke and his family. The Black family was seated just in front of them, but they had left a couple of spaces empty at the Queen's left hand for Tersias to sit in.

Kristy began getting nervous. The only rulers she had met were elves, never a wizard emperor, and she had never been present in a meeting like this one. Usually, children wouldn't be allowed in them, but Tersias wanted to personally apologize.

The creak of the doors silenced the buzz of conversation that had started among the adults. A messenger stepped in and bowed to them before speaking.

"Emperor Tersias and his son, Prince Ianver, have arrived, Your Highness."

"Let them through, Higion," replied Queen Vanessë with a nod.

The messenger nodded and stepped aside to reveal a young, regal-looking wizard dressed in rich wine-coloured robes with black and gold accents. His eyes were brown, his skin had a healthy golden tinge to it but his hair was white. Beside him walked a ten-year-old carbon copy of him except for his golden eyes. Two black-robed people flanked them and Kristy immediately assumed they were actual Untouchables.

She gasped, thinking they would come in as well, but Tersias made a small gesture with his hand and both black figures fell back. Before the doors closed behind Tersias and Ianver, however, Kristy noticed the elven guards eyeing the Untouchables with apprehension.

"Come in, Tersias, take a seat," called Vanessë at the younger ruler, motioning to the empty spaces to her left. "Welcome to Fatura to the both of you."

The other ruler nodded politely at her. "Thank you, Queen Vanessë. It is always a pleasure visiting your country. So much that Ian here could not be left behind," he added with a small smile.

Ianver shot his father a reproachful look but kept quiet. He seemed to be Orion's exact age but, unlike Orion, Ianver seemed to be the quiet kind of boy.

Tersias smirked down at his son and rested a hand on his shoulder, guiding him around the table to their seats and nodding in greeting to Kristy's grandfather, her aunt and uncle, even her cousins. He and Ianver finally sat down and he looked to his left at Kristy's family.

"I am afraid we have not being introduced," he said at last, looking at them with honest curiosity. "I am Tersias, and this is Ianver. It is an honour meeting you at last."

"Hello," greeted Ianver quietly.

Kristy's grandfather cleared his throat. "These are Megan, Kristen, Orion, Paige and Sirius, Tersias. Sirius is a pureblooded wizard, like you and me."

Tersias' eyebrows rose. "Really now? Well that is a pleasant surprise."

Sirius smiled tightly at the other wizard. "It's a long story, your Highness."

Tersias waved off the title. "Just Tersias, please. The title still gives me the creeps," he explained. "But anyhow, the matter at hand… I have come here to sincerely apologize for what happened earlier today in Ebur. The breach in security is unforgivable, we know that, but even more unforgivable is that we could not protect your family from it. If we had known the crown Princess, Prince Lukan, and the Duke and Duchess were in the capital I could have assigned my best Untouchables to you…"

"Do not worry too much over it, Tersias," cut Aunt Katyn kindly. "We did not let anyone know on purpose. I was merely picking up my son and his cousins from port."

Tersias nodded slowly, still looking guilty. "Then the rescue effort… it is not possible that we could not find Duchess Aleani sooner."

Kristy's attention doubled when she heard her Elven name. Ebur's Emperor had such a pained look on his face that she felt she needed to reassure him like her aunt had done.

"Emperor Tersias," she said with a small voice. "I'm Duchess Aleani… Kristen, really…" reddening a little when Tersias' brown eyes settled on her. "You really don't need to worry so much. Nothing happened to me except for a couple of bruises, but your Healers took care of them for me. You did what you could."

Tersias bowed his head at her. "Thank you, Lady Aleani. Your words are much appreciated. However, some of the credit must go to you; had you not shot those red sparks into the sky before you fell unconscious, finding you would have been much harder."

Kristy was taken aback. "What sparks?" she asked, looking questioningly at Tersias. "I didn't shoot anything into the sky…"

The adults exchanged glances.

"What do you mean you didn't?" Uncle Feredir asked at last.

Kristy shrugged. "I can barely remember the way I took to find the warehouse, but I'm certain I didn't shoot anything."

"But then… who did?" pondered Tersias out loud. "And why did they choose to only mark the place where you were hidden, and not save you on the spot?"

"I was told there was no one near the location where she was found," added Aunt Katyn, shooting Kristy an odd look. "We just assumed she had shot the sparks, like you said, Tersias."

Kristy's grandfather leaned back on his seat. "Well then… it seems you have a hero hidden somewhere in your city, Tersias. Strange way they have of working, though. Why not carry out the job to the end and claim the glory?"

Tersias furrowed his brow. "Sounds like Untouchable material…" he mumbled to himself. "And speaking of Untouchables, I should run an investigation among their ranks. They have never failed the crown before, but now they've failed to find the people behind these attacks and the reason they have for attacking, so I fear I have a traitor somewhere. All that they have been able to find out is that we are, unfortunately, dealing with more than one Shade."

The elves stiffened and looked warily at Tersias.

"Are you certain of this?" asked Queen Vanessë quietly.

Tersias nodded. "I was given some of their names by my Head Untouchable. Angra, Morana, and Fachtna. Something big is coming," he said quietly. "When and where I cannot tell, but it won't take long now, so keep your eyes open for anything remotely suspicious. You know the way Shades work."

"What can they be after?" asked Feredir with a frown.

Kristy saw Orion grimace. "What are Shades?" he whispered to her.

Kristy leaned over to him. "I don't know… but judging by the adult's reaction, it can't be good," she answered helplessly.

"…it could be anything," Tersias was saying. "From political power to sheer chaos. Hopefully we can avoid a war…" he added, turning to Megan sitting beside him. "Perhaps it would be best if you and your family could stay out of Lemuria until we find the source of the problem and extinguish it. You would be safe in Europe."

Megan nodded. "I'm sorry for the children but I think you might be right. I don't want to be taking more risks than necessary," she added, stroking Kristy's hand.

Kristy and Orion gave their mother alarmed looks, and even Sirius looked like he would complain, but a severe glance from Megan quieted them. Paige, still too young to understand what was happening, remained quiet in her seat, looking at the people around her with some boredom.

"Does that mean you won't be coming to Fatura again?" asked Luke, speaking for the first time.

Kristy looked expectantly at her mother, who sighed tiredly. "I don't think so, Luke. Not for a good while at least… but you're attending Hogwarts. You can still see each other."

"What of us, Meg?" asked King Castien. "Won't we be able to see our grandchildren?"

Megan smiled slightly. "It's not forbidden to visit us, you know dad? A change of airs wouldn't hurt you."

"Why don't we discuss this issue later?" suggested Queen Vanessë suddenly, shooting Tersias and Ianver a significant glance. "Family matters can be discussed over diner."

"Oh no," Tersias interrupted as he began to stand. "By all means, carry on. I have to get back to my country… many papers to sign, investigations to begin, budgets to approve… please do not stop because of me," he told the room at large. "Returning at a later date is no problem for me. Moreover, compensation is in order; name what it is you want and you will have it."

Uncle Feredir stood up as well to show Ianver and Tersias to the door. Before the two white-haired wizards left, though, Tersias bowed his head politely to everyone in the room and Ianver imitated him, pausing when he got to Orion and glared at him instead. Orion glared back at the other boy and Kristy shot him a questioning look.

Orion shrugged. "We were arguing with our eyes this entire time. Didn't you notice?"

Kristy shot him a look. "You really are as weird as dad sometimes…" she mused. She watched Tersias exit the meeting room, and felt a stab of dread in the pit of her stomach when Uncle Feredir closed the door again. Her mother seemed dead set on not returning until it was certain that a war wouldn't be breaking out. And in case it _did _break out… well, she hoped things didn't change so much that she wouldn't be able to set foot in Lemuria ever again.

* * *

Christmas was an odd affair that year. Orion, Luke and Kristy were still getting over the shock of the raid, so the holiday cheer they were used to didn't come around. Added to that was the adults' final decision on the Blacks' trips to Lemuria. Megan seemed to be too worried about what would happen now that at least three Shades were roaming about the continent, attacking different countries. The day after the raid, news reached them that Ebur had not been the only target; four other major capitals had been raided, but still the purpose or the connection was unknown. They believed it was only a matter of time until the wizards' troubles reached the elves and other races, and Megan didn't want her family in the middle of it.

At least not right after they had gotten rid of Voldemort and his insane band of Death Eaters. Megan wanted peace. So did Sirius, who grudgingly agreed with his wife about taking a long break from Lemuria.

Kristy, Orion, Luke and even Neddia had protested, but the adults wouldn't hear them out. Aunt Katyn and Uncle Feredir were also worried out of their minds, even though they tried to hide it, but it became apparent when they began toying with the idea of sending Luke and Neddia away to England as well, to keep them safe.

Predictably, both were adamant about staying in Fatura despite everything, and for the moment being their parents would let them stay. "But at the first sign of trouble you're both moving to your aunt's house!" Aunt Katyn had told them sternly. Luke and Neddia had had no choice but to grudgingly agree.

On the positive side, Kristy had received owls from Harry, Ginny and her new friend, Devanee, along with gifts from them and their families. The Potters wanted the Blacks back for New Year's at least. James had promised a small welcome gathering to 'alleviate their nerves' after the raid. Knowing James, he was probably just looking for an excuse to throw a huge party in his manor, and Sirius wasn't about to miss it.

They stayed as long as possible in Fatura, hanging out with Luke and in occasions with Neddia, too. Two years had passed since they had first met and she seemed to have grown out of her I'm-better-than-you phase, but still she wouldn't accompany Kristy, Orion and Luke in their most 'perilous' adventures that required them to get dirty and explore new territory. Paige, however, tagged along and asked all sorts of questions now that she was five.

On the last day Kristy realized just how much she would miss this place; the elves, their songs, their food, the archery, the simple way of life…. The side of the family that loved her lived here. Back in England she only had the Blacks, who were mostly Dark and wouldn't recognize her and her siblings as their descendants. To Kristy's horror, Draco Malfoy seemed to be the last _decent_ heir. That would have to be fixed later… in the here and now, in Fatura, she didn't have to worry about anything but giving her relatives a proper good-bye, not knowing when they would see each other again.

Her grandfather was particularly reluctant of letting her go. Sure he didn't want Orion and Paige to leave either, but he seemed to be more attached to Kristy for some reason.

"Stay safe," he'd told her seriously, looking at her squarely in the eye. "I don't know what happened to you in the time you _vanished _back in Ebur, but I don't want something like that to happen to you again. Don't go alone _anywhere_, do you hear me?"

Kristy had nodded with a small frown. "Of course, Grandpa," she had replied. "I'll be in Hogwarts anyway, no?"

Castien had sighed. "I don't think you understand, dove," he'd whispered, bending down so they were level with each other. "You're very important in more than the family way. If you fell in the wrong hands…" his voice had trailed away and he'd shaken his head. "Please just promise me you won't be going anywhere on your own," he almost begged her.

Not understanding her grandfather, Kristy nodded nonetheless. "I promise, Grandpa, don't worry about me. I've got Harry Potter on my side, haven't I?" she'd joked.

Her grandfather hadn't found it so funny. "Yes, that's what worries me," he'd replied seriously. "Don't draw too much attention to yourself either, alright?"

Kristy had been very confused by then. She'd assured him that she didn't really like the spotlight, preferring to stick to the sidelines, or backstage even. She couldn't understand why her grandfather worried so much… maybe it was the after effect of her being lost for a large part of the raid.

Then just before she left, her grandfather had called to her again. "Do you still wear the necklace I sent you for your tenth birthday?" he'd asked.

Kristy had whirled around and reached inside her shirt's collar, pulling out the silver chain and the green gem. "Everyday!" she'd assured him with a bright smile.

Castied had nodded his approval. "Keep it safe…"

"… and it'll keep me safe in return," Kristy had recited, remembering what her grandfather had said to her when he'd passed her the necklace.

Castien finally seemed appeased and smiled at last; a warm smile that Kristy would remember until she met the old wizard again, years later.

Saying good-bye to Luke was easier because she knew she would see him again in Hogwarts, but she was surprised when Neddia hugged her and said she would miss her. It wasn't something she expected from her slightly snobby cousin.

Megan didn't want to go through Ebur again, which was the closest international port, so they ended up in Marmor, a southern country (just as important as Ebur but not as lively) way farther away from England. The trip back was the longest they'd ever made by magical means, but the ships were also bigger than Ebur's and slower at that, so by the time they reached England the 30th of December was almost over. James insisted they come over to Godric's Hollow the next day, and while the five Blacks were tired, they couldn't say no.

* * *

Jack stood sullenly by his tall window, staring sightlessly through the glass panes. He'd turned thirteen with the coming of the New Year a few days before, but still he couldn't bring himself to feel excited about it. The rain pouring down outside didn't help his mood either. He still wasn't on speaking terms with his father, though Ralph had come around after Kristen had left and now the two cousins were the good friends they had always been. Mainly because the subject of Kristen hadn't been mentioned again.

From the moment he'd shot the red sparks into the sky, he'd been wondering why he'd saved her. He kept telling himself that it was because she had offered him and Ralph a hiding place and he'd wanted to repay her. Maybe it had been all on impulse, an instinct… that didn't have to mean anything.

"S'up, Jake?" greeted Ralph, letting himself into Jack's room and plopping down on the bed. He lay down and crossed his arms behind his head. "Wanna pull one on Alfred? You look like you could use it."

Jack shook out of his stupor and spared Ralph a glance. "I'll pass, thanks. And don't call me 'Jake'," he added with a slight frown before turning back to the window, resting his forehead on the cold glass.

Ralph sat up when he noticed the lack of emotion on Jack's voice. "Are you feeling alright? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," mumbled Jack without changing position. "Just in a mood."

Ralph grimaced. "A mood? You've been sulking for more than a week. As far as I know, people usually get excited when Christmas or their birthday comes up, yet you could barely smile in thanks when Maggs, and Diego, and everyone wished you a happy birthday. I have news for you,_ Cous: _moods don't last this long."

Jack managed a small 'shut up' glare at Ralph and leaned against the window frame. Ralph sighed with exasperation.

"Is it because of your father?" he ventured. "You'll get used to it. My father and I are never on speaking terms. Well, at least not since I started hanging out with you-"

"It's not my father," cut Jack, just as monotonously as before. "My father's moods I can deal with. I can be just as proud as he."

"So what is it?" Ralph asked, eyeing Jack's posture. His brown eyes suddenly widened in realization. "You're not thinking about… you know… _her_… are you?"

Jack stiffened and held back a curse. That gave Ralph the answer he wanted to know, but before he could lash out Jack spoke up.

"I'm just pondering why I did what I… did…" Jack defended himself. "I'm not specifically thinking of _her_. Why does it bother you so much, anyway?" he asked Ralph, turning around to face him directly for the first time.

Ralph huffed. "The redhead almost got you killed for nothing, and by your own father no less."

"My memory must be failing me, then," retorted Jack. "I remember jumping in front of the curse, not her asking me to do it."

"Well it wasn't only that," said Ralph, ignoring Jack's point. "Who knows how long the memory charm on her will last? Dumbledore and his order of fire-pigeons could be swooping down here any day to take you away, all because you couldn't stay away from a good-looking girl."

Jack stared at Ralph as if he'd sprouted wings. "You think this is about me liking a girl?" he asked disbelievingly.

Ralph shrugged. "You always ignored me when you were with her. And I might not be the brightest drop of ink in the bottle, but I'm not blind. Kristen was good-looking."

Jack couldn't help it. He laughed. It was the first time he'd laughed since Kristen had left. "I don't know why I saved her," he chuckled. "But it certainly wasn't because of her looks. It was merely an impulse, Ralph, an instinct, and she won't ever remember it." His tone changed into a bitterer one. "It's about the first time I do something worth remembering, but the person who should won't, and those who can would rather pretend it didn't happen. Allow me to sulk for some time while I get over the irony," he added mockingly.

Ralph raised an eyebrow at him. "Well that's better. At least you're not being monotonous anymore."

Jack scoffed and turned away, mood successfully shattered. "What do you want?"

His cousin shrugged. "We leave for school in two days and you haven't packed a thing. Plan on ever getting started?"

"Since when have you been the responsible one?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Since you stopped," Ralph replied simply. "You're going to kill yourself, Riddle."

Jack ignored the last comment and rolled his eyes. "Have _you _packed?"

Ralph laughed. "Of course not! Geez, mate… I'm not you."

"You know my father won't wait for any last minute packing when we leave," Jack reminded the other boy sternly.

Ralph snorted. "You're one to talk. Get started on that trunk," he added imperiously as he stood from Jack's bed and left the room with his nose in the air.

Jack shook his head at Ralph's antics and smirked. If he managed to get his father to talk to him again, maybe things would go back to the way they were before Kristen came along.

Somehow, that thought didn't comfort him.


	28. Of Alliances and Dreams

**A/N: **No excuses.

* * *

**Chapter 27 – Of Alliances and Dreams**

* * *

Going back to Hogwarts was a different experience for Kristy that particular term, since as soon as she stepped on the train students from every year flooded her with questions and awed stares, and that was usually Harry's department. It seemed the word had spread that she had been present in Ebur's raid, and the story of her disappearance throughout it was cause of a lot of speculation. Everyone except for the Slytherins wanted to know what had happened to her. Funnily enough, Kristy herself wanted to know _what_ exactly had happened. Her only souvenirs were a bruise on the back of her head from the hit that had apparently caused her memory loss, and an odd dream that kept repeating itself over and over.

She had yet to tell someone about it, since it didn't seem to be so important and besides, the dream was downright laughable. Who in their right mind would think her sane if she told them she dreamt of being saved by a the Dark Prince from a red eyed monster as they both ran away from a raid?

Nope, she was safer keeping the dream to herself, she thought, as Colin Creevey caught up to her and Harry on the corridor.

"Bloody brilliant, Kristy!" he cried with a big smile, his ever faithful camera in his hands. "If it had been me I would have been really scared!"

Kristy rolled her eyes at her eager housemate. "Colin, maybe if I remembered what I should have been scared about, I would have been scared," she replied bluntly, knowing her tone wouldn't deter the blond boy.

As expected, Colin brushed it away. "You're still very brave," he praised her. "I can tell why you ended up in Gryffindor. Hey, do you want to ride in my compartment? Zach and my brother Dennis are there."

Kristy winced internally at Colin's hopeful face. "I'm sorry Colin… I'm already sharing a compartment with Harry, Dev, Ginny and the others…" she said quietly.

Colin's face fell slightly. "Oh, I see," he said, rather disappointed. "It was worth a shot though… could have gotten some pictures of you and us together."

"Maybe we'll do it sometime later, Colin," replied Kristy with a slightly forced grin. She couldn't help it, she hated cameras.

"Alright, don't worry about it," Colin said with a shrug. "We can try some other time, when you're not busy with… _you know_..." he added suggestively, winking at Harry in the process.

Harry frowned, confused, and Kristy's cheeks turned a little pink. "What exactly are you suggesting, Colin?" she asked him tightly.

"Nothing, nothing," he said with a cheeky smile. "I'll see you both at the feast. If you're not held up, that is," he said as farewell, turning around and waving at Devanee as he left and she arrived.

Devanee stood for a moment, looking at the back of Colin's head. "Hey Harry, can you head off to find a compartment? I need to talk to Krish about something," she said bluntly without looking at the pair.

Ah, Devanee. The black girl was always the direct one. Wait… _Krish?_

"Dev, did you just call me Krish?"

Devanee turned around and nodded. "Harry, chop, chop. And yes, I did just call you Krish."

Harry chuckled and shook his head at her. "Right, Devanee," he said with a grin. "Come on, let's find a compartment," he added.

"No, Harry, _you_ find a compartment. I need to talk to Kristen here, and we'll find you later, 'k? Girl stuff," explained Devanee slowly, as if talking to a three-year-old.

Harry looked taken aback but didn't comment. "Fine, I'll go ahead," he replied awkwardly. "See you later," he told them both, turning to leave with his trunk behind him, casting them odd looks as he walked away. _'Girls,' _he thought to himself with a frown. Maybe Ron was on the train already… he needed some male input.

Meanwhile, Devanee was already dragging Kristy in the opposite direction without giving her an explanation. The other students gave them odd looks as they passed by until Devanee found an empty compartment and dragged them both inside.

"Devanee Freund, what on Earth is wrong with you?" Kristy cried, glaring slightly at her friend as she locked the door behind them.

Devanee brushed the glare away. "Is what Colin said true?"

Kristy raised both eyebrows, startled. "And just what did Colin say?"

Devanee sighed. "About you and Harry?" she replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Me and Harry what?"

Devanee sighed and looked at the ceiling in exasperation. "I'll be blunt. Are you and Harry in the process of becoming an item?"

Kristy choked on air. "Of course not!" she cried as soon as she regained her speaking faculties. "Devanee, come on! Besides, if anything were going on between any boy and I, I would tell you and Ginny before anyone else, you know that."

Devanee didn't respond, just nodded like a shrink, making Kristy bristle further.

"And this is Harry," added Kristy. "Nothing could happen between us, he's my best friend… among the boys, that is."

"Exactly!" cried Devanee suddenly, pointing at her accusingly. "You guys are always together. You spend more time with him than with any of us."

Kristy rolled her eyes. "Only because our parents are friends, Dev, and they seem to like living in each other's houses."

"Perfect scenario," agreed Devanee, nodding knowingly at Kristy.

Kristy sighed. "Ginny likes him, remember?" she reminded her friend.

Devanee tapped her nose in thought. "You have a point. And besides, Harry really isn't all that perceptive is he?"

Kristy released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, knowing she was back in safe territory. "No he isn't. It seems everyone knows Ginny fancies Harry except for him."

Devanee nodded and then shrugged. "Well, Kristen, life isn't easy. But we must move on," she said in a mock serious voice. "And believe me, I know it's hard," she continued, resting a supportive hand on Kristy's shoulder, "but you must try. Ok?"

Kristy snorted. "You're definitely not sane, you know that?"

"But I'm not quite insane either," replied Devanee with a wink. "And you know, if you ever do start fancying Harry, that's ok."

"Devanee!"

Devanee laughed. "Seriously, there's nothing wrong with that. Ginny would understand… unless someone else plagues your dreams?"

Kristy shifted uncomfortably and Devanee gaped. "You do fancy someone!" Devanee accused her.

"I do not," declared Kristy adamantly. "Just because a guy shows up in my dreams doesn't mean I like him. I don't choose to see him."

A smirk slowly spread through Devanee's face. "But there _is_ a boy," she stated.

Kristy shook her head. Well, so there was a boy… the only setback was that said boy was a little dead.

"There is no boy, Devanee," mumbled Kristy, looking away. "It's just a dream."

Devanee shook her hand around, as if waving away a fly. "Details. You'll have to tell Ginny and I everything about it at dinner, ok?"

Kristy covered her eyes with her hands and nodded tiredly. "Fine, fine. I'll tell you about it… but I have to warn you this dream is _bizarre_."

Devanee snorted and went to open the door. "Darling, if it doesn't include you having babies with the Giant Squid, it just isn't bizarre enough."

"That's disgusting!" cried Kristy, laughing nonetheless. "_And_ the most disturbing thing I've ever heard!"

"Told you it wasn't bizarre enough," Devanee replied simply. "Shall we?" she added, allowing Kristy to walk through the door first.

* * *

For the rest of the journey Kristy had to fight the urge to throttle Devanne. Her friend kept shooting glances at her and Harry, and then at Ginny with a pensive look on her face. Occasionally she would try to cover up a giggle as if she were making up a story. Kristy could already hear her babbling about a possible love triangle, maybe even a threesome. There was no telling with Devanee, but at least Harry and Ginny were blissfully unaware of what was going on.

As night fell and the train got closer to the school they began changing into their school robes. At some point Devanee pulled Ginny aside to whisper something in her ear, and by the way Ginny was looking at her, Kristy assumed Devanee must have told her about the boy in the dream.

Kristy's theory was confirmed as soon as they entered the Great Hall for dinner. The Christmas decorations were still up, but Professor Flitwick's charms were starting to wear off… Kristy vowed to herself that she would stay at Hogwarts for Christmas next year. It could be fun now that she wasn't going back to Lemuria again, and perhaps she could convince Luke of staying as well. Her musings were interrupted by Ginny, who tapped her on her shoulder with a smirk.

"So what's this Devanee tells me about you having a dream boy?" Ginny whispered in Kristy's ear.

Kristy sighed dramatically. "I knew I'd seen her tell you back on the train. It's a strange dream, is all."

"Not starting without me, are you?" asked Devanee from Kristy's other side. "Come on, let's grab a seat," she added, pulling Kristy and Ginny behind her.

Kristy caught Harry and Luke looking oddly at them. Hermione didn't take long to catch on and sent them a questioning look, but Ron was already seated and staring at the plates as if he could make food appear on them just with his eyes.

"Hermione looks like she's about to come on board, too," commented Ginny offhandedly, watching the older girl talking to Harry and glancing back at them.

"Well, Hermione's okay I guess…" commented Kristy, resignedly dropping on a seat as Hermione said good bye to the boys and made her way towards them.

"Why so much secrecy?" she asked the three younger girls when she was near.

Ginny and Devanee exchanged a look and then both looked at Kristy. Kristy rolled her eyes and beckoned Hermione to sit with them.

"It's not really secrecy, Hermione, I'm just not shouting it," she said. "I've been having a strange dream about the raid ever since I woke up from it, and there's a boy involved. Devanee is making up stories about it because of it."

Devanee snorted. "You've made up the story yourself, it's _your _dream."

Hermione took on a thoughtful look while Kristy stuck out her tongue at Devanee. "You say you've had this dream since you woke up?"

Kristy nodded. "Ever since the first week, at least."

Hermione stroked her chin and furrowed her eyebrows. "But you can't remember anything from the raid, right?"

"Nothing but the beginning of it," replied Kristy, wondering where Hermione was going with her little interrogation.

"Is there any way you could have suppressed the memories and they came back to you as a dream?" Hermione asked finally.

Kristy laughed. "I highly doubt that, Hermione," she said with a chuckle. "What happens in this dream can't have been real."

"Why not? What happens in it?" cut Ginny, while the food began to appear on the table and students all around them started to load their plates.

Kristy shrugged before reaching out for the mashed potatoes. "It's too strange, like any other dream. More like a nightmare, actually," she added.

"So tell!" urged Devanee. "I've waited all the train ride for it."

Kristy huffed. "I'm getting to it, Dev," she growled, playing with the food on her plate. "See, in this dream I'm running away from the raid, and two boys are with me-"

"Krish didn't feel like one boy was enough," cut Devanee with a devilish grin, making Ginny giggle and Hermione smile.

Kristy glared.

Devanee raised her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist. I swear I won't interrupt again."

"Fine," huffed Kristy, giving Ginny and Hermione slight glares for good measure. "So I'm running away with these boys, and around us everything is a disaster; buildings are falling, people are screaming, there's bodies everywhere… and then everything goes dark, and a bunch of men surround us… and… um…"

"And then?" said Ginny, leaning forward with interest.

Kristy scrunched up her face, trying to remember. "Then one of the boys starts screaming… the one with the black hair and blue eyes, though I've no idea how I know that, now that I think about it."

Hermione nodded. "Dreams are strange like that. I once dreamt with a woman I knew was my mother, but the woman looked nothing like her."

"So this dream boy has black hair and blue eyes," repeated Devanee, nodding as she did so. "Why was he screaming though?"

Kristy shook her head. "I'm not sure. Dreams don't make much sense, but I know he screams because the men do something to him. Then these black shape with red eyes swipes in and kills all the men, then it turns on me and tries to kill me, but the boy with the blue eyes saves me."

Devanee whistled. "Dream boy saves the day," she chuckled. "You found a prince, Krish. If only he were real…"

Kristy grimaced. "Yeah, if only…" she grudgingly agreed, leaving out her suspicions of who she thought the boy was.

"What happens next? Do you wake up?" asked Ginny.

"No… the dream changes completely then," replied Kristy. "I'm suddenly in a big house, and I know it belongs to the boy. Both boys are in there with me, and everything seems to be fine… then the boys fight and I'm left alone with the blue eyed boy in his room."

Devanee giggled. "Alone with a boy in _his _room, Kristen? Why, I would have never expected it from you, you little devil!"

"Devanee!" cried Kristy, turning a bit pink. "Nothing even happens!" she said.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "Right, Kristy, whatever you say."

Kristy looked at Hermione, searching for support, but Hermione smirked at her. "Sorry, Kristy, I don't believe you either."

"Traitor," Kristy accused her dryly. Hermione shrugged innocently and Kristy shook her head. "Fine. So we're in his room and I'm sitting next to him on his bed-"

"Merlin's Y-fronts! On his bed?" Devanee cried out, attracting a couple of stares. "No one's talking to you!" she told the onlookers. "Back to your dinners!"

The two or three students that had glanced over at them looked affronted but returned to their own business all the same. Kristy wanted to hit Devanee. Hard.

Thankfully Devanee decided that it was best to lower the volume and leaned forward. "Kristen Black, you scarlet woman!" she cried softly but excitedly. "Did he kiss you?"

Kristy blushed. "Of course not, Devanee! I know how it sounds, but we were just sitting next to each other and… alright, sitting very close to each other… but then the red eyed monster comes back, points a wand at me, and then I feel like I'm falling… and that's when I wake up," she finished quickly, before Devanee could get any other strange ideas and voice them to the entire Great Hall. "See why those can't be my memories, Hermione?"

Hermione got her pensive look again. "But maybe, the beginning of the dream can be a memory that you've mixed with whatever there's in your subconscious…"

"Boys," answered Devanee, nodding knowingly at Kristy.

Kristy decided to ignore Devanee for the time being and shrugged at Hermione. "It could be," she conceded. "But last I actually remember I was alone."

"You could have found the boys as you ran," suggested Ginny, pushing the food around her plate.

"Yeah, I guess," said Kristy, unconvinced. She glanced at the boys and smiled at the grimace Harry and Luke were giving Ron as he ate.

"So anyway," said Devanee after a short pause. "Any idea who this mystery boy could be?" she asked.

Kristy bit her lip. "No," she lied. "I don't really know anyone who looks like the boy in my dream…" she added. Of course her friends had no need of knowing that she suspected the mystery boy of being the Dark Prince… that would make no sense at all, especially because he was supposed to be dead. She laughed just by considering the idea of being saved by a Dark wizard.

Meanwhile, Ginny was looking around the Great Hall for boys meeting the description. "Zane's got black hair and blue eyes," she announced suddenly, staring at a Gryffindor housemate in their year sitting a few seats down. "But you don't really talk to him all that much, do you?"

Kristy peeked at Zane and frowned. "Definitely not Zane. But then again, Adam Parish from Hufflepuff has also got black hair and blue eyes."

Devanee clicked her tongue. "Not blue eyes… greyish, I'd say," she argued. "What about Outterridge?" she suggested.

"Alphaeus?" cried Kristy softly, looking at the other side of the Hall. "He's a Slytherin! And his hair isn't black _black. _It's more like a really dark brown."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the younger girls. "Oh please, what makes you think the boy in Kristy's dream is in your year? Or even at Hogwarts?"

Kristy sighed while Ginny and Devanee exchanged glances.

"She's got a point," conceded Devanee.

Kristy shook her head. "Why are we even trying to match the boy in my dream with a real person?" she asked, exasperated. "If the boy is real then he lives in Ebur, far, far away from here."

Hermione shrugged. "And if he isn't, then the boy you dreamt about might only be the embodiment of something you're looking for."

Ginny snorted. "Can I ask why you dropped out of Divination, Hermione?"

Hermione scoffed at her and the other three laughed.

"I propose we finish dinner and leave the dream for later," announced Kristy.

Devanee clicked her tongue again. "I know you're trying to wiggle out of this one, Kristen Black, but I'll let it slide for now. I'll pester you with it later," she agreed.

Kristy shook her head for the umpteenth time that evening as the conversation stirred towards Hermione's winter break. It seemed she had been right in keeping her suspicions from Devanee. The last thing she needed was her friend crying out how she and the Dark Prince could unite Dark and Light, putting an end to the war amidst the flames of passion and whatnot.

By Merlin, where had _that_ come from? Maybe she was spending too much time with Devanee…

* * *

The rest of the term dragged by uninterrupted, and the good-natured jokes at Kristy's expense because of her recurring dream were gone by the last month of classes. Unlike the dream, that would randomly pop up in the middle of the night and wake her up. At first she was intrigued, and wanted to know the meaning behind it, but months later it was beginning to get annoying. Maybe she would enrol in Divination next year to see what the big deal was, even though Harry, Ron and Hermione told her that the professor was a quack.

More exciting than anything else was that Orion would be attending Hogwarts next year. She couldn't wait to see her brother's face once he got his letter, and then would come the train ride, and his Sorting. She wondered if he would make it into Gryffindor with the rest of them… he probably would.

At the end of term feast it was announced that Gryffindor had won the House Cup for the third time in a row, along with the Quidditch Cup, which gave them a boost. It seemed the House had hit a winning spree ever since Harry had started at Hogwarts… but then again, Hermione won an insane amount of points for Gryffindor, being the best in her year and all.

Then, as the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station, Ron gave them news that brightened the rest of the train ride.

"I just remembered… The Quidditch World Cup is this summer!" he cried suddenly. "We're going, right?"

Harry looked away from the window and back at his friends. "Of course we're going," replied Harry, looking at Ron as if he were nuts. "All of us!"

Ron grinned. "Yeah, I think Dad can get tickets from work, but I don't know if he can get enough…"

"Our parents can help," said Kristy, pointing at Harry and then at herself. "Both of our Dads work at the Ministry."

"The Quidditch World Cup?" asked Luke, looking a bit lost. "You have one of those?"

At first they all –except for Hermione- looked at Luke as if he were crazy, but then it dawned on them that Luke had only lived in their world for two years, and technically he was an elf, not a wizard.

Hermione gave the others a small glare and then smiled at Luke. "It takes place every four years, and this time it's being held in Britain."

"Wow…" said Ron, looking at Hermione with honest surprise. "She actually knows something about Quidditch…"

Hermione huffed at him indignantly. "I'm not so uninterested in Quidditch that I wouldn't know _that_!"

"Do you think you'll be able to come?" Harry asked Luke hurriedly, wanting to avoid another one of his friends' arguments.

The question had the desired effect and now all were focused on Luke, who shrugged in response. "I honestly don't know," he replied. "I'll have to talk to my parents about it… maybe I can convince them saying I'm going to a big international event. Big words should impress them," he added with a cheeky grin.

"Brilliant!" said Ron, breaking into a contagious grin. "It's going to be awesome! I can see it already… all of us sitting at the top of the stadium, watching Malfoy from above…"

They laughed and continued to daydream about the Cup, eventually starting a game of Exploding Snap that Harry lost. They kept on playing games until the train pulled into King's Cross Station and they had to step down onto the Platform.

Their parents and siblings were waiting for them at the other side of the barrier, chatting amongst themselves. Mrs. Weasley broke apart from the group as soon as she saw them and went to hug them all. They had to move out of the way to wait for the Weasley twins and Percy when waves and waves of students stepped through the barrier after them.

"What will you be up to this summer?" Sirius asked the group while they waited.

"It's the Quidditch Cup, Dad," answered Kristy.

"We'd like to go together," added Harry, in behalf of the group.

James shrugged. "I'm sure it can be arranged," he said with a grin, while the Weasley twins and their older brother made their appearance. "We'll speak of it during the summer," he suggested.

The group cheered and then began saying their farewells. The Weasley clan started for the parking lot along with Hermione and her parents. Devanee and her mother hung back for a little while, so Kristy and Devanee could say good-bye to each other properly, but left shortly after. At the very end, only the Potters, the Blacks, Luke and his mother along with her bodyguards –after the raid in Ebur she no longer went anywhere without them- were left standing on the platform.

"Are you going back to Fatura, now?" Kristy's mother asked her twin.

Katyn eyed her two bodyguards and shrugged. "Yes, this very day. The ship will be ready before sundown and we're off. By the time we get to Fatura it will be midday there."

"Why don't you stay with us until then?" suggested Megan, holding on to her twin sister's arm. "It'll be fun! You'll get to see my house," she added brightly with a grin. "Please?"

Katyn sighed at her sister's antics and smiled. "Alright. But only because you said please!" she replied.

Megan threw invisible confetti into the air as celebration and cried, "Weeee!"

Kristy raised an eyebrow at her mother. She'd never seen her act like this before… she was usually collected and strict, completely the opposite to Sirius. Maybe Megan had been a lot more free-spirited before she and her siblings were born, and only now was she returning to her old ways.

"You're welcome to join us as well, obviously," said Sirius to James and his family. Then lower, so only James and Harry could hear him, "I really don't want to be left alone with the ladies and my sister-in-law's goons. Please?"

Harry chuckled and James laughed outright at his friend. "Oh well, your mother and I wanted to give you a welcome home present, Harry, but it seems your godfather is in dire need of our help."

Harry mock groaned and shot Sirius a look. "Thanks, Sirius," he grumbled.

Sirius merely smiled angelically and suddenly gave Orion a one-armed hug, which looked more like a headlock actually.

"Ouch, Dad!" cried the now eleven year old. "What are you doing?"

"You must learn to eavesdrop without being caught, my son," replied Sirus, pretending to be serious, even though 'Sirius' and 'serious' were no often found in the same sentence.

"If you're done bonding, maybe we can go home?" called Megan, raising an eyebrow at them. She, Katyn and Lily were already beginning to leave. Kristy was carrying little Ethan piggyback style, and Paige was holding on to Luke's hand.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Girls," he muttered, letting go of Orion. "Let's go, _boys_. I'm starving."

"Hey!" cried Luke, looking a bit put off. "I resent that!"

Megan laughed and swatted at Sirius' arm when he passed her by while Kristy gave Luke a reassuring smile. The troop looked for a more secluded spot to take their Portkey, away from the Muggles, and managed to get home without further trouble.

Katyn's bodyguards opted for staying outside of the house, to keep a lookout, and flitted out of sight within moments after arriving at the front garden. Orion took Luke's wrist right away and rushed him to the inside, eager to give his cousin a tour. The rest of the family and the Potters followed happily, but with much less enthusiasm.

"Welcome home," said Megan, holding the door open for her sister. "And I'm sorry if the house is a little trashed, but Orion lives here, you know?'

Katyn laughed and stepped inside, followed by Lily, Kristy, Harry and the younger kids. Sirius scoffed at the group and looked around the garden at all the trunks.

"Sure, no problem. Prongs and I will take care of all the stuff," he called after them sarcastically. "Right, Prongs?"

James rolled his eyes. "Yeah, we will!" he called after the others as well.

"Thank you, darling!" came Lily's voice from the inside, followed by the other women's laughter.

Meanwhile, in the inside of the house, Kristy, Harry, Paige and Ethan had joined Luke and Orion upstairs, while Megan and Lily took Katyn to the sitting room.

"Tea?" offered Megan.

Katyn and Lily nodded and took seats opposite each other. Lily smiled at the Elven princess and made herself comfortable. "How have you been, Katyn? Tired from your trip?"

Katyn smiled back at the witch. "I'm good, Lily, thank you. And I'm not so tired, actually… it's around ten in the morning for me," she added. "That is the best thing about wizard transportation."

"I know," Lily agreed. "Saves us a lot of trouble… anyway, what do you think about letting Luke come to the World Cup?"

"You _will_ let him come, right?" asked Megan from the doorway, levitating the entire tea set.

"Letting who come where?" asked a confused Sirius, just catching up, James behind him.

Katyn sighed heavily and rested her chin on her hand. "With the way things are, I might just send the kids to live with you after all…"

Sirius nodded sympathetically and sat down. James followed, but he sat down next to Lily. Megan grimaced as she took a seat next to Sirius and began serving the tea. "Things have gotten worse, then?"

Katyn accepted her tea and sighed tiredly. "Almost imperceptibly, but yes," she replied, looking older all of a sudden. "We've confirmed the existence of five Shades, names and all. Two females and three males…" The other four occupants of the room gasped as one and Katyn sighed again. "It's not like they're hiding that they exist, after all. All Lemurian governments have agreed on one thing, though: we don't let the general public know unless absolutely necessary."

Lily blinked. "But why? Don't the people deserve to know the truth? What they're up against?"

Katyn grimaced and shrugged at the same time. "We would all prefer to avoid a mass panic," she replied. "On an executive level, we've had more visits from wizard countries in the last six months than in the last twenty years. They're all seeking our help in case of war… Mum hasn't wanted to get Fatura involved, but Luor and Mirkwood aren't so sure."

Sirius raised his eyebrows, surprised. "And why's that? Are they warming up to us or something?"

Katyn gave him a look. "Of course not, Sirius," she nearly snapped at him. "It's political. That we're elves doesn't make us exempt from the Shades' attacks, and while we can perform Elven magic, hardly any of it can stand Shade magic. Eldain and Aldoniel (the rulers of Luor and Mirkwood respectively), believe that we stand a better chance if we form an alliance with the Wizard Kingdoms and Empires."

"But that's two on three, isn't it?" pointed Megan, ignoring her husband's affronted look. "In the council, I mean."

Sirius frowned. "I'm afraid I don't follow…" he said cautiously, wanting to avoid another snappy retort from his sister-in-law.

Lily looked at him and rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Sirius, do you live under a rock?" she said exasperatedly. "She's talking about the Elven council. It was founded hundreds of years ago, when the five Elven kingdoms formed their alliance. Whenever an issue comes up that affects the entire race, the rulers from the five kingdoms get together and discuss what course of action to take. We learned all about it in History of Magic with Binns."

"I knew that…" muttered Sirius, turning his cup between his hands. It was a lie, but his pride came first.

"Of course you did, sweetheart," conceded Megan a bit sarcastically, running a hand through his hair.

Sirius sank in his chair. "I did. I just… momentarily forgot. This is Binns we're talking about, I was probably asleep," he insisted feebly, though everyone knew he really didn't know. They all knew Sirius enough to know when he was lying.

James rolled his eyes at his friend. "Getting back on topic… I suppose you need a majority of votes for the decision to take effect?"

Megan nodded. "Yes, indeed," she replied, nodding as she did so. "Apparently the Black Forest and Lohinril still agree with Fatura." Then she sighed. "And what's Mum's excuse for not forming an alliance?"

Katyn took a sip of her tea before she answered. "She says the Shades have only attacked Wizards so far. That it is possible that the Shades have no interest in the Elves, and we can avoid a war."

Megan raised an eyebrow. "She is aware that she married a wizard, isn't she? And that all of her descendants have wizard blood in them?"

Katyn sighed and rested her cheek on her hand. "I knew you'd react like this…" she then gathered herself up and faced her identical twin. "You know that as rulers we must think of our people before our own family. It's no secret that the Elves are a dying breed; we cannot take on another war."

Megan scowled. "And prejudice has nothing to do, I'm sure."

"Alkdilien, I'm not going to deny it," stated Katyn severely, shocking the occupants of the room without Elf blood in them. "You know perfectly well what was the council's response to our parents' marriage, and they could have avoided that scandal had we not being on the way."

Lily and James exchanged a look, and then looked at Sirius. He had failed to mention that the Auvrea twins had been 'an accident'. It must have been a shocker for the Elves… they just did _not_ mix with wizards that way.

Katyn flicked a strand of red hair out of her face and turned on the wizards. "My father used to be an Ambassador for Gemunor, on diplomatic business in Fatura so he lived there for a while. One look at the Queen, long walks under the moonlight, one bottle or two of fine Elven wine, _fill in the blank_, and some weeks later the Queen finds out that Alkdilien and I are on the way. You can guess the rest of the story," she related bitterly.

Megan rolled her eyes. "Thank you for ventilating our parents' love story, Faelwen."

Katyn ignored her and continued. "As you know, Elves have never being comfortable with the way witches and wizards are able to manipulate the world with their magic, but they have always remained tolerant. The only reason why the council accepted our parents' marriage was because our father dropped his wizard ways. Aly and I were an aberration, though."

Megan clicked her tongue. "Don't exaggerate, Wen."

"I'm not exaggerating, Aly," scoffed Katyn, glaring at her twin. "Our parents kept us protected from public opinion, but I realized just how strongly they disliked us when I married Feredir. And just when it seemed that we could go back to the old Elven ways, that our wizard side hadn't affected us, just when we started to be accepted… you ran off with a wizard," she finished dryly with a scowl, now glaring at Sirius.

Sirius glared back. "And we stayed away, didn't we? We avoided contact with you for years!" he cried, anger getting the best of him. "If I remember correctly, it was you who sought us out when Kristen turned ten!"

"_My father_ sought you out!" countered Katyn, matching Sirius' tone. "And then Luke left to Hogwarts… do you know the uproar that caused? What we have had to deal with in court just so he can leave to that school of yours every term?"

"Enough!" cried Megan, metaphorically stepping between her sister and husband. "I didn't invite Wen over so you could argue, dimwits!"

Sirius crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. Katyn did something similar and scoffed.

"We were discussing why the Elves and wizards haven't formed an alliance in Lemuria. There is no need to turn this into a personal matter," snapped Megan at both of them.

"And I was telling you why we remain undecided," muttered Katyn.

"Faelwen!"

Then came a ringing silence in which James and Lily felt very much out of context. Out of all the things they expected Katyn's visit to be, family trouble didn't even make it to the list. But here they were, witnessing just that.

Katyn took a deep breath and stirred her now cold tea. "The point is, the Auvrea bloodline is now considered the _tainted_ bloodline. The damage is done. We cannot further that damage by joining the wizards in another war, or we would be risking an uprising against the Royal family," she explained bitterly.

Lily frowned and leaned against James. "Tainted?" she asked, trying to keep her voice from sounding too cold. "Isn't that like the prejudice our purebloods have against Muggleborns and our half-bloods?"

To everyone's surprise, it was Megan who answered. "Not exactly, Lily. See, aside from the magic issue, wizards don't live nearly as long as Elves. Since pureblood Elves are millenary creatures they are very conservative; they don't take well to sudden changes. They are used to having the same monarch for at least two hundred years. And now, since Katyn and I have wizard blood, we might not live long enough. That is what she means by tainted."

Katyn took over then. "And that means that maybe, by the time our mother dies, Aly and I will be long dead; perhaps Neddia and Luke, too, because they also have wizard blood," she said, sounding a bit depressed. "Perhaps when our mother dies, the one to inherit the throne will be Neddia's child, instead of myself like it should be, or even Neddia. It's taking its toll on the Elves to accept that. It is everyone's hope that, by marrying back into the Elven bloodlines, that the Royal family's life span increases again. And as horrid and prejudiced as it may sound to you…" –she glanced at Sirius and the Potters at this- "… they also hope that all traces of magic disappear from the royal line of Auvrea. Magic conflicts too much with Elven nature, and does more damage than good."

Then there came an awkward silence. Bitter understanding hung in the air. For a moment, all they did was sip their tea and nibble on biscuits. Then…

"But you _will _let Luke come to the World Cup, right?" asked Megan out of nowhere.

Katyn's eyes rolled heavenward, but she was smiling this time. "Yes, Aly, I will let Luke come to this Cup of yours."

Megan hugged her and smiled. "Thank you! The kids will be really happy. You won't be sorry, I promise."

"I better not be," Katyn mock threatened her. "Or you'll hear from Mother."

Megan snorted. "I am _so _afraid."

Sirius chuckled. "I would be. My angry mother-in-law isn't someone I'd like to meet," he joked, finally breaking whatever was left of the tension hanging in the air.

The five continued to hang out for the rest of the evening, occasionally wondering what the kids were doing, considering they sometimes heard Orion cry out and Ethan's baby laugh right after.

At sundown, though, Katyn and Luke had to leave. Their bodyguards came back from wherever they had been hiding, and flanked their charges once more. Katyn made Megan and Sirius promise that they would take her children in at any time if things got worse back home, and the couple had to reassure her that they would be delighted to help out. Finally convinced, she and Luke left, and the Potters followed a while after.

For the moment, everything seemed to be the way it was supposed to be. But of course, for the moment, that was the way Desmond Tiny wanted it to look like.


	29. The Dark Mark

**A/N: **Hmm... I don't understand how an 8,500 words document was suddenly 8,821 words long when I uploaded it.... but there you go. Two chapters and the epilogue left!

* * *

**Chapter 28 – The Dark Mark**

* * *

Later in the summer Orion got his own Hogwarts letter, as did his best friend Miles Jasly. The poor boy had been waiting forever for it, or at least ever since he could remember. He assaulted Kristy and Harry with questions about Hogwarts whenever he got the chance. So much, in fact, that Kristy was beginning to spend more time at Harry's house to avoid him. Harry didn't mind; he was more amused by the younger boy than his sister was.

Shortly after, the Wizarding community began to buzz with excitement at the approaching World Cup. Bill and Charlie Weasley would be arriving soon for the occasion, and Mrs. Weasley was happily bustling about. Tickets were bought, the kids were excited, the adults were happy; everyone was impatiently waiting for the day they would take the Portkey. Except for one of them.

"Ethan, sweetheart, it'll be fun!"

"Don't wanna!" insisted the toddler, crossing his short arms over his chest in a show of defiance.

Lily stared at the boy, completely nonplussed. _Are you serious?_

Harry shook his head and watched James approach his adopted little brother from behind the kitchen table. It was taking his parents quite the unexpected effort to convince Ethan that leaving the house for a few days would be fun.

"Hasn't come around yet, has he?" asked Ron, stepping up beside Harry and munching on a bagel. Hermione came right behind him and stood at Harry's other side. She had been staying with Kristy for the last two days while they waited for the World Cup to start, but since Kristy would be spending the day at Harry's yet again, Hermione had tagged along. Ron had been suitably notified and Flooed to Harry's house, so the four friends were now gathered under the same roof.

Harry sighed. "No. We thought he'd be happy to go on an 'adventure' but he's scared of spending the night out for some reason."

Hermione shrugged. "He's still little. His imagination flies. Who knows what monsters he's cooking up in his mind?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "He's three years old, Hermione."

"That's more than you can say for yourself, Ron," said Kristy casually, startling them as she appeared behind them.

"Where have you been?" Harry asked her, before Ron could retort.

Kristy shrugged and stood on tiptoe to catch a glance of the Potters struggling with their toddler. "Around," she answered simply. "Fancy going outside? There's something I'd like to tell you…" she added in a whisper.

Harry shot his family one last look, which Lily returned exasperatedly before going back to Ethan. "Sure, let's go."

Kristy led the way to Harry's garden and plopped down beside the small pond. She pulled out her necklace from under her shirt and started fiddling with it while the other three joined her.

"What is it?" Hermione asked her, not unkindly.

Kristy bit the inside of her cheek and faced the Trio, looking uncertain. "It's the necklace," she told them, holding up the green gem. "It's been acting strange."

Harry exchanged a look with his friends and looked back at Kristy. "Strange how?"

The redhead grimaced and looked back at the green leaf-shaped gem in her hand. "It's started to do all sorts of things… sometimes it heats up, others it goes really cold, or suddenly gets really heavy. Most of the times it glows, but really, _really_ glows. I thought it left me blind once!"

Harry, Ron and Hermione looked worried, and Harry actually reached out for the necklace. Kristy hesitated before taking it off –since her grandfather had told her to never do it- but this was only Harry, right?

She lifted the chain over her head and handed over the whole thing to Harry. Harry took it and looked closely at the leaf. Ron leaned in to watch it, too, but Hermione bit her lip.

"And this just happens at any time?" she asked the younger girl.

Kristy nodded. "That's why I wasn't with you just now. The thing started to glow again and I had to lock myself up in a closet so no one would see it. I don't know how to control it!" she said desperately. "I don't know what it's doing, it's as if it has a mind of it's own."

"I thought your grandfather said that it would protect you if you protected it?" asked Ron, looking a bit nervous, and with good reason. They'd had enough experience with objects that thought for themselves. "You haven't left it lying around recently, have you?"

"Of course not!" snapped Kristy. "This is the first time I take it off since I got it on my tenth birthday."

"Better put it back on then," said Harry, giving the necklace back. "It doesn't seem to be scratched or hit, or anything, so it can't be complaining."

Kristy laughed despite herself and slipped the necklace back on. "I've thought that maybe it's trying to warn me of something," she said once she had sobered up.

"Like?" asked Ron.

Kristy shrugged. "No clue. I thought you three would have a better idea."

Harry frowned in thought and stroked his chin. "It can't be Voldemort, my scar hasn't hurt since we left Hogwarts."

Ron and Hermione protested at the use of the name, and even Kristy shuddered a little and shot him a reproachful look. Harry rolled his eyes at them. "It's just a name, there's nothing scary about it," he repeated for the thousandth time.

"It's not the name, it's the mention of the man," retorted Kristy, and Ron nodded in agreement.

"It's not like he's going to show up if I say his name," scowled Harry.

"But we were discussing Kristy's necklace," cut Hermione, before a full-blown discussion on a name could start. The other three looked down guiltily and Kristy proceeded to tear bits of grass from the ground.

"Do you have any idea why it's behaving like this?" she asked Hermione.

Hermione shook her head. "None at all. It's probably like you say and it's trying to warn you about something. I bet there are several protective charms on it, and preventive ones as well. I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Except perhaps what the necklace is trying to warn Kristy about," Ron reminded them sombrely. "Can you remember if your necklace acted up last Christmas?"

Kristy shook her head. "No, it didn't, and if it did then the memory got lost along with everything else that I can't recall," she added sourly.

Harry stroked his chin in thought again and glanced into the pond beside him. There were little fish flitting around just below the surface but Harry paid them no mind. It seemed odd that now of all times Kristy's necklace was acting up. Why hadn't it warned her of anything before? Why hadn't it acted up in second year when there was a basilisk slithering around the school? Or in third year when she was caught in the middle of a raid? Could it be because those two occasions weren't dangerous enough? And if that was the case, what was dangerous enough for the necklace?

"Have you told your parents?" he asked her suddenly.

Kristy shook her head. "I'm scared they will react as if the necklace were some sort of Tom Riddle's diary and take it away, even though I know it's nothing like that."

Hermione stared accusingly at the green gem and looked thoroughly unconvinced by Kristy's statement. "Maybe you should ask your grandfather about it," she suggested. "He would know why it's acting that way."

Kristy nodded eagerly. "Good one, Hermione. I'll owl him before we leave for the World Cup, but until he replies, would you mind helping me look up some answers in my parents' library? Please?"

Hermione bit her lip, and Harry knew she was thinking of the library at Hogwarts and all the information she could find in there.

"Oh, alright," Hermione said at last. "I'm not sure if we'll be able to find much, but we can give it a try."

Kristy's face lit up and she smiled. "Great! Thanks, Hermione."

Ron nodded. "Yes, that's great, Hermione, but moving on… you have to come to my place tomorrow, all of you," he told them out of the blue.

"Why?" asked Harry.

"Bill and Charlie," Ron answered simply. "Mum is going to cook all this food and wants you over… and then the day after that we take the Portkey, so you can stay at my place for the night, too."

Harry, Kristy and Hermione exchanged looks.

"I guess my parents won't say no," said Harry at last. "And tomorrow we can meet them by the camping site."

"Are we still sharing a tent?" Kristy asked him suddenly.

Harry nodded. "As far as I know. And I think Remus is staying with us, too."

"He's not coming back to teach us next year, is he?" said Ron, looking crestfallen.

Hermione shook her head. "He said he wouldn't. Snape letting everyone know he's a werewolf and all," she added bitterly. "He was a great teacher."

"Yeah he was," echoed Harry darkly, thinking of the ways he could get back at Snape for what he had done.

Hermione caught the murderous look on his face and frowned. "Don't, Harry. None of us is happy, but you can't go around attacking teachers. You can be expelled."

"I can still picture it, though, can't I?" retorted Harry, glaring at the distance. "Remus didn't deserve it, just because he's a werewolf."

Kristy opted not to say anything, but her face became stony. She had also loved Remus' lessons, and if Harry was thinking about payback, then he better count her in.

After a moment's pause, Ron lifted his head and squinted at Harry's house. "Harry? I think your mum is waving at us," he said uncertainly.

Harry turned around to look at his house, and there was Lily by the window, beckoning them inside. "I think it's lunch," he said. "We should go. Dobby cooked today and he loves it when we eat his food- and don't look at me like that, Hermione! You know he loves it here!"

* * *

The next day Harry, Kristy and Hermione joined the Weasleys at the Burrow. Bill and Charlie were already home, and Mrs. Weasley had been cooking since the early morning, so by the time Harry, Kristy and Hermione arrived they only had to help set the tables.

Mrs. Weasley's cooking was as excellent as it always was, and aside from an argument about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes that made everyone laugh, the afternoon ran like clockwork. Harry found that he liked Ron's older brothers just as much as the twins, and while he'd met Bill and Charlie before, he'd been too young to really hold an entire conversation with them. This time, though, they chatted about everything; from their jobs and school to the World Cup the following day.

"I can't wait!" cried Ron, plopping down on his bed after dinner. "I want it to be tomorrow already."

"Just give it a few hours, Ron," chuckled Kristy, sitting down on Harry's makeshift bed and hugging a pillow to her chest.

"Yes," agreed Hermione. "The faster we fall asleep, the less waiting we have to do. I might go to bed in a while, actually."

"I second that," said Ginny rubbing her eyes. "I'm practically asleep on my feet right now."

Harry sat down on the foot of his own bed and stretched his back. Kristy made a disgruntled noise when he then lied down and rested his head on her lap, but Harry just smiled playfully at her. "What? You took my pillow," he said as explanation.

Kristy sniggered and playfully pushed Harry's face away from her. "It's my pillow now," she replied.

"No, it's not!" protested Harry, reaching around said pillow to tickle his friend.

"Harry, NO!" cried Kristy, trying to wriggle out of his grasp and failing. She laughed when he finally reached her and tried to tickle him back to get him off her, but she failed at it, too.

Ron groaned in protest at the noise and covered his head with his pillow. Hermione tsk-ed at him and crossed her arms over her chest. Harry cried out when Kristy finally got him and she laughed along with him. In an attempt to get away from his friend, Harry rolled onto his side and lost his balance, tumbling to the floor and taking Kristy down with him.

They landed on their sides with a loud _'Oomph!'_ but Harry lost no time regardless, and taking advantage of Kristy's confusion he pinned her down under him and continued his tickling assault on her.

"Harry, stop!" laughed Kristy, pushing his face away with a hand she had been able to free from him. "I mean it!" she added with a chuckle.

Harry laughed at her and managed to pin down her free arm again. "What's the worst you could do? Tickle me back?"

"Get a room!" came Ron's muffled complaint because of his pillow. "Bloody turtle doves…"

"I think I'm going to bed now," said Ginny suddenly, turning around without making eye contact with anyone. "Good night," she mumbled, just before she closed the door behind her.

Harry and Kristy stopped messing around on the spot, and while Harry looked puzzled, Kristy exchanged a quick worried look with Hermione.

Ron's head emerged from under his pillow and he frowned. "What was that about?" he asked, nodding his head towards the door.

"I dunno," said Hermione, biting her lip. "But I think I might go to bed, too. You coming, Kristy?" she asked the younger girl with a pointed look.

Kristy caught on to Hermione's hint and disentangled herself from Harry. "Maybe we should. We'll be up in a few hours, so we'll see you boys then," she added, waving an arm at them as Hermione opened the door.

Harry picked up his pillow from the floor where it had fallen, and waved back uncertainly. "Sure… er… sleep well."

Kristy and Hermione exited the room and left a ringing silence behind them. Harry frowned trying to understand what had just happened while Ron adjusted his sheets and got comfortable. He put his hands behind his head and made a face at the ceiling. "Blimey, girls are so _weird_!"

As Harry put his bed back in order, he had to agree.

Meanwhile, Hermione and Kristy were tiptoeing into Ginny's room. Like in Ron's room, there were two makeshift beds that had been somehow crammed into the small space. On the actual bed was Ginny, facing the wall.

"Ginny?" whispered Hermione tentatively. "Are you awake?"

After a whole minute, Kristy thought that either Ginny had fallen asleep or she just didn't want to talk, but then she made an odd noise in the back of her throat to let them know she was awake and listening.

Hermione moved forward and sat on the foot of the redhead's bed. Kristy followed but chose to remain standing.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

Ginny sniffed. "Peachy," she mumbled.

Kristy looked down guiltily. "Listen, Gin… back there-"

"Don't worry about it, Kris," cut Ginny, before Kristy could give any kind of explanation. "It's okay, really," she added, when Kristy made a sound of protest. "I know you didn't mean anything, it's just… you know how I feel about Harry, and seeing you mess around like that… well…"

Kristy sighed sadly. "It gives off the wrong idea, I know," she mused miserably.

Ginny turned her head and gave Kristy a sad smile. "I don't think it's the wrong idea, Kris. I think… I think he might actually have a little something for you," she whispered.

Kristy's eyes widened and Hermione clicked her tongue softly. "Oh Ginny…"

Ginny turned on her back and stared at the ceiling. "No, Hermione. You're always saying how I should get over Harry, move on. If he likes Kristy, then who am I to interfere?"

"But Harry doesn't like me," argued Kristy feebly. "Not like that, anyway."

Hermione winced. "It didn't look like that in Ron's room, Kristy. Harry isn't like that with anyone else."

"Because we're like siblings!" said Kristy, collapsing on one of the makeshift beds. "My parents are his godparents, and his parents are my godparents. It'd be too weird if anything happened between us."

"But you'd have family on your side," said Ginny. "What have you got to lose? I know for a fact that you liked him when we were younger because we used to talk about it."

Kristy rolled her eyes. "Exactly, when we were younger. I'm over that particular crush, I swear. Besides, we don't even know for a fact that Harry likes me."

"Perhaps he hasn't even realized it," mused Hermione. "That'd be typical Harry."

"Not helping," grumbled Kristy. To her surprise, Ginny giggled.

"Kristy, it's not that big of a deal," she said. "Do I like Harry? Yes. Does it hurt that he seems to like someone else? Yes. More so because that someone is my friend, but I've been thinking about this for a long while. Months, or a year even. There was always the possibility that he wouldn't like me back, and now I just have to adjust to it. We're not going to stop being friends for a boy, are we? Even if it _is _Harry, right?"

Kristy smiled at Ginny. "You're really something, you know, Gin? I'm glad we're friends," she said in all honesty.

Ginny smirked. "You're not going to go all mushy on me, are you? Harry might get jealous, you know?"

Hermione and Kristy laughed, and Ginny laughed with them even after Hermione had settled in her own bed.

"Good night, girls," said Hermione through a yawn.

"Night," replied Kristy, pulling up the covers with a small frown, musing about what was going to happen now.

"Night," echoed Ginny weakly, turning around to hide the silent tear that had slipped from her eye.

* * *

Harry felt like he had just been asleep for a few minutes rather than hours when Charlie woke him up. He managed to understand something about being late before the older Weasley went to wake Ron. He groaned before taking a deep breath and declaring himself awake.

Within half an hour he was showered, dressed and sitting at the table with the girls and Percy, waiting for Ron and the other Weasley children to come downstairs. Hermione smiled brightly at him, Ginny gave him a weak smile, and Kristy exchanged a quick glance and a half-hearted grin with him before avoiding his eyes completely. He frowned. '_Hmm… odd.'_

Mrs. Weasley tried to feed them some toast, but they were all so asleep that by the time Ron and the others came down and Mr. Weasley told them it was time to leave, they had hardly bitten into it. Fred and George led them outside and up Stoatshead Hill where they met the Diggorys, who they would be sharing a Portkey with, but they got separated as soon as they arrived at the campsite, the Weasley party being sent after a Mr. Roberts, and the Diggorys to find a Mr. Payne.

Mr. Roberts turned out to be the only Muggle for acres, and he already looked a bit dazed, though that was probably because it was still too early in the morning. He gave them a map and marked the spots where they could get water and where their campsite was set.

"Have the Potters arrived yet?" Mr. Weasley asked Mr. Roberts.

"The Potters?" asked the man. "Are you with them?"

"They're my parents," replied Harry. "We would be arriving separately."

The Muggle nodded and checked his list again, muttering Harry's surname while he did so. At last he came upon the names and set them in the right direction. They thanked him, paid (with Harry's help), and left to look for Harry's parents and the others.

On their way to their camping spot they came across the oddest tents. Honestly, if these people thought they could fool the Muggles this way...

"Arthur! Over here!"

The group turned to Sirius' voice and saw Remus sitting on the ground with Ethan, Orion and Paige around the campfire while Lily tried to explain to James and Sirius how to set up the tents. Mr. Weasley immediatly walked up to them, telling Lily to wait up because he also wanted to set up his tent the Muggle way. Ron rolled his eyes, and Harry and Hermione exchanged amused looks.

"Where's my mum?" Kristy asked the group at large.

"She's picking up Luke from port," replied Orion groggily. "She said she'd catch up with us later. Lucky her, she got to sleep longer..."

Fred and George soon disappeared among the crowd with their friend Lee Jordan, who they'd found. Ginny suggested they should look for Devanee, who would probably be somewhere around, and the five got up to explore while Orion trailed after them ("I'm a Hogwarts student now, aren't I?" he'd said as an explanation).

They wandered around aimlessly for a while, looking at the tents and at the witches and wizards from all the other nationalities. They were all just waking up, but those already outside cooking breakfast looked excited for the upcoming match that night. As they wandered they encountered Seamus Finnigan, Oliver Wood, and saw Cho Chang in the distance, but no sign of Devanee. In the end, the group returned to their camp and figured they would see her at the match later that day. When they arrived, they found Luke was already waiting for them, sitting next to the fire and playing with Ethan and Paige.

"Took you long enough!" he called when he heard them approach.

"Hey, it was you who arrived late!" Orion called back, earning a whack on the head from his sister.

Hermione shook her head at the siblings' antics. "Safe trip, Luke?"

Luke shrugged. "As safe as can be expected, I guess. Mother was insistent that I shouldn't cross through Ebur because of what happened last winter, so we made a detour to Marmor. Heck of a detour, that was... not that Marmor is the safest place anymore, anyway."

"No?" asked Hermione with some worry. "I've been reading the news, but the Prophet doesn't really pay much attention to international affairs..."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Please Hermione, don't."

But Hermione was already off. She sat down with Luke and both started discussing news and what they could mean for them in the near future. For one thing, Luke and his sister could move in with Kristy's family if things got worse, as they seemed to be getting.

Despite themselves, Harry, Ron, Ginny and Kristy ended up sitting down with the pair and listening to them. Orion soon grew bored and went into the Black family tent for breakfast where the adults were, followed by Paige and Ethan.

"A lot of people are moving to safer countries or towns," Luke was saying. "Of the big cities, I think only the Elven ones have yet to be attacked."

Hermione nodded. "The question is, for how long?"

"Exactly," said Luke somberly. "My parents would rather have me stay at Hogwarts for the holidays, that's how bad it is. Next thing we know, Neddia and I will be living here." He scoffed. "At least her _fiancé_ won't be able to show up randomly anymore. He and his owner, Destane... they've been showing up a lot because the Elven Kings and Queens keep discussing what they're going to do. I've seen a princess prancing around, too.... she's older though."

Ron laughed at the image of the prancing princess and from there, their serious conversation went downhill. They all went into the Black tent, which seemed to be the biggest, with its dining room, living room and even a game room, and had something to eat. The twins were back, but Percy was gone now, no doubt trailing after his new boss. Charlie and Bill had yet to arrive, but it wasn't midday yet, so Mrs. Weasley had yet to send them along.

However, a sense of excitement rose over the campsite as the day wore on. All around them people forgot about the magic restrictions, and the Ministry wizards gave up on controlling everyone by the time night fell. It was time for the match anyway, and green and red lanterns led the people to the gigantic stadium deep inside the forest.

The large group made their way to the Top Box, where they finally saw Devanee with her father, a Tornadoes Quidditch player that was attracting stares from everyone. She was a couple of rows above them so they couldn't really talk, and then Cornelius Fudge and the Bulgarian Minister made their appearance, closely followed by the Malfoys, making contact with Devanee pretty much impossible. Lily and Remus had a hard time keeping James and Sirius civil to the Malfoys, but at least for the Ministers' sakes they remained quiet. When they didn't assault Lucius, his attention turned to Mr. Weasley.

"Good lord, Arthur," he said softly. "What did you have to sell to get seats in the Top Box? Surely your house wouldn't have fetched this much?"

Harry took a deep breath and tried his best to hold Ron down. This was going to be one heck of a long game...

After the match, Devanee and her father could finally catch up with them on the way down from the Top Box to discuss the game's unexpected end. Sirius was fascinated with Devanee's dad, who'd introduced himself as Albert Freund… not that they didn't already know that. They were soon caught up in the crowds now flooding out of the stadium and back to their campsites. Raucous singing was borne towards them on the night air as they retraced their steps along the lantern-lit path.

At the end of it, they said good-bye to Devanee and Albert and then finally reached their tents, but nobody felt like sleeping at all (except for Ethan, who was already tucked away in the Potters' tent). They lighted the fire again and James pulled out some marshmallows that Lily had insisted they bring, so it was like real camping. Mr. Weasley brought out hot cocoa from his tent, and they were soon arguing enjoyably about the match; Mr. Weasley, Charlie and Sirius got into a disagreement about clubbing, and it was only when Orion fell asleep on Luke's shoulder that the adults decided it was time to turn in. Hermione and Ginny went into the Blacks' tent to keep Kristy company, and Remus, Ron and Luke crashed the Potters' tent.

However, before long, James was jerking the boys awake.

"Get up! Quick, boys, up!"

Harry sat up quickly, and shielded his eyes against the light coming from his father's wand. "S'matter, Dad?"

Dimly, he could tell something was wrong. The singing had stopped, for one thing, and his father looked too alarmed; people were actually screaming. It seemed only an hour had passed since they'd gone to sleep. Ron and Luke scrambled out of bed and took the coats James was offering. Harry got his own and was about to put on his pants over his pyjamas, like his dad, but James said, "No time for that, Harry. Let's just go outside, quick!"

They left the tent and met with Lily, who was holding a very angry Ethan. He didn't like being woken up so brusquely, probably.

By the light of the few fires that were still burning, he could see people fleeing into the woods from a black mass of marching people, moving slowly across the field with their wands in the air. Their heads were hooded and masks covered their faces; high above them, four figures struggled to break free.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. "Dad… are they…?"

"I don't know, Harry," replied James urgently. "I dearly hope they're not. Right now you and the others have to go into the woods with everyone else, alright? Your mother will go with you-"

"Excuse me, I will be going with you, James," snapped Lily. "You're not going to get rid of me as easily as last time, you hear me?"

James raised his arms and mock-strangled her. "Lily, you-ugh, never mind… I know that face. What about Ethan, though?"

"Give him here," said Megan, who'd come out of her tent and heard the last part of the conversation. "I'll take the kids. Fred and George can help me."

The girls and Orion exited the tent after her with Sirius at their heels. "James, Arthur, come on!" he urged them, before sprinting away toward the oncoming marchers, with Remus, Bill, Charlie and Percy hot on his heels.

"Dad?" called Ron uncertainly.

"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr. Weasley shouted over the noise. "You lot get into the woods and _stick together_. We'll come and fetch you when this is over!" He then sprinted away as well, and James and Lily tore after him. Ministry wizards were dashing from every direction toward the source of the trouble. The crowd beneath the four figures, that they could now tell were Mr. Roberts and his family, was coming ever closer.

"Come on, you lot," said Megan, pulling Paige along and carrying Ethan as well. The rather large group followed. They all looked back as they reached the trees, and then Luke held on to Orion and Kristy's hands.

"We're not getting separated this time," he whispered to them. The siblings looked back at him and nodded. There would not be a repeat of Christmas.

Megan led them deeper into the forest, but just as in Ebur, people were blundering in all directions, children were crying, anxious shouts and panicked voices were reverberating around them in the dark. Separation was inevitable. Before they knew it, Harry, Ron and Hermione found themselves alone. Ron had tripped, and Harry and Hermione had held back to see what was wrong with him.

"What happened?" said Hermione anxiously. "Ron, where are you? Oh, this is stupid – _lumos!_"

"Tripped over a tree root," he replied angrily from the ground, before getting on his feet again.

"Well, with feet that size, hard not to," said a drawling voice behind them.

Harry groaned. "Piss off, Malfoy!" he called out without turning around. There was no way that he didn't know that voice.

"Manners, Potter," replied Malfoy with a relaxed drawl. "If I were you, I'd move along. You wouldn't want _her _spotted, would you?"

He nodded at Hermione, and at the same moment, a blast like a bomb sounded from the campsite, and a flash of green light momentarily lit the trees around them.

Harry scoffed. "Where're your parents, Malfoy? Out there wearing masks, are they?" he said, his temper rising. "We all know what your father used to be, even if the Ministry is stupid enough to turn a blind eye. Paid them, didn't he?"

Draco scowled at him. "If they were, I wouldn't be likely to tell you, would I, Potter? And don't you dare suggest that my father would ever bribe a Ministry dog!"

"Oh come on," said Hermione, with a disgusted look at Malfoy, "let's go and find the others."

The trio ignored Malfoy's last sneers and found the path again. "I'll bet you his daddy _is _one of that masked lot!" said Ron hotly.

"Most probably," muttered Harry darkly. "You know how close he was to- well, you know…. Regardless of what the Ministry said," he said, knowing that saying Voldemort's name right now wouldn't be so smart.

None of the others were around, but there were still a lot of people looking nervously over their shoulders toward the commotion back at the campsite. Ron pulled out his wand and lit it like Hermione had done. Harry was about to do the same to find his wand wasn't there at all.

"Ah, no… my wand! It's gone!"

"What do you mean it's gone?"

"I mean it's not here, Ron!"

A rustle among the bushes made them jump, but it was only Winky the house-elf whom they'd met at the Top Box. She was struggling to run away, squeaking about bad wizards coming closer. Another loud bang echoed from the edge of the wood, making people scream in fright.

"Let's keep moving, shall we?" said Ron, and Harry saw him glance edgily at Hermione. Perhaps she was truly in more danger than they were. They set off again, keeping an eye out for Luke, Kristy and the others, but they came upon a quiet clearing without having met anyone. Ron sat down and Harry listened carefully to the sounds coming from the campsite, but the riot seemed to be finally over.

"I hope the others are okay," said Hermione after a while.

"They'll be fine," said Ron.

"Mad, though, to do something like this when the whole Ministry is around," said Hermione. "They were probably drunk and wanted to revive their old days of–"

But she broke off abruptly and looked over her shoulder. It sounded as if someone was making their way toward the clearing, or staggering was more like it, while giving off raspy breaths.

"Who's there?" called Harry into the darkness. Why did he have to lose his wand today of all days?

There was silence. Though they couldn't see anyone, they could sense somebody's presence just beyond the first line of trees.

"Hello?"

And then, a cold throaty voice shouted, not panicked like the others in the forest, but a spell, loud and clear.

"_MORSMORDRE!" _

And something vast, green, and glittering erupted from the patch of darkness; it flew up over the treetops and into the sky.

Harry gaped. He thought he would never see that colossal skull again, a great serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue. Suddenly, all around them the forest was filled with screaming and Hermione was pulling him and Ron away from the spot where the voice had come from. Before they could take a few steps, though, a series of popping noises announced the arrival of several wizards, surrounding them.

Harry whirled around and in an instant he noticed that they were all pointing their wands at them, among them, he registered Sirius' face. Without stopping to think, though, he yelled, "DUCK!"

The trio fell to the ground, as twenty voices roared "STUPEFY!" at them.

"STOP!" yelled Sirius. "That's my godson!"

Harry lifted his head and saw Sirius walking to them, looking shaken. "Are you three alright? What happened to the others? Where have they gone to?"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, but Mr. Crouch came over before he could make a sound. "Who did it? Who conjured the Dark Mark?"

"We didn't to _that!_" said Ron, pointing overhead at the great skull above them. "It was some man over there by the clearing! Why would we conjure that thing?"

"So you saw him?" cried Mr. Crouch. "Who was he? Could you recognize him?"

"No, no, no!" said Hermione. "We only heard his voice."

"Maybe one of our stunners got him," mused one of the wizards, who Harry recognized as Amos Diggory. He strode into the darkness with his lit wand up in the air and cried out in surprise at what he found.

"What is it, Amos? Did we get him?" asked a Ministry wizard.

Mr. Diggory came back to the clearing with a small bundle in his arms and an additional wand. Under the flickering lights, Harry immediately recognized it as his.

"Hey, that's mine!" he cried, pointing at the wand Mr. Diggory was holding.

The Ministry wizards all turned on him.

"Yours?"

Harry winced. "Yeah. I dropped it."

"So _you_ cast it!" cried Amos, after setting the bundle on the ground. _Winky._

Sirius scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous, Diggory. Would Harry Potter cast the Dark Mark? Ha! That will be the day!"

Amos stared at Sirius dazedly, as if finally realizing what he was doing. "But who else is there to blame? The elf?" he asked, nodding down at the unconscious Winky.

Mr. Crouch bristled. "Are you accusing my House Elf of casting the Mark, Diggory?" he asked Amos coldly. "I trust you know that if you accuse my elf, you accuse me?"

Sirius tugged lightly on Harry's sleeve, and prompted Ron and Hermione to stand up. "We better go back to camp," he whispered to them. "Before this gets any worse…"

The trio nodded and Harry got his wand back after it was proven that, indeed, the Dark Mark had been cast with it. Sirius rushed them out of the clearing and the four made their way quietly to their tents, which were blissfully intact. Ginny and Kristy poked their heads out of the Black tent when they heard them approach and were on top of them with a couple of strides.

"Where did you go?"

"We turned and suddenly you weren't there anymore!"

"Yeah, Ron tripped and we fell back."

"Hey!"

"We looked everywhere!"

"And then the Mark! We were so worried!"

"Let's all go inside, shall we?" Sirius suggested over their cries. "I think we all need a strong cup of whatever Lily can come up with to calm the nerves."

The group agreed and trudged into the tent, where the rest greeted them. Bill, Charlie and Percy had minor wounds on them, but the rest of the adults seemed fine.

"Did we catch them, Sirius? Whoever conjured the Mark?" asked Remus sombrely.

Sirius shook his head and collapsed on an armchair. "All we found was Crouch's elf with Harry's wand. Doesn't make any sense."

James gaped at him. "Harry's wand?"

"Mr. Crouch's elf?" asked Percy, just as dumbstruck.

Sirius waved away the questions. "Beside the point. We couldn't find anyone, that's the most pressing matter."

"What happened to the… er…" began Harry, not really knowing how to refer to the troublemakers.

"Death Eaters, Harry," said Lily softly. "They were Death Eaters after all."

"Or what is left of them," commented Mr. Weasley. "They Disapparated as soon as they saw the Dark Mark. We managed to catch the Roberts in time, though."

Ron looked strangely at his dad. "But if they were Death Eaters why did they flee? Wouldn't they be happy to see their Master's symbol?"

"Of course not, Ron!" replied Bill, pressing a towel against a bleeding wound on his arm. "These guys did all things possible to stay out of Azkaban when You-Know-Who fell. I don't imagine he will be too happy with them."

James scoffed. "And people think he's back. They started asking us all sorts of questions… of course he isn't back. He can't be back. Not after fours years of peace."

"It would be just like him, though, wouldn't it?" said Charlie, drawing everyone's attention. "Let us all have a little bit of peace and quiet, let our guards down, then strike again to remind us all that he is still out there, somewhere."

There was a murmur of agreement among the adults, but that was the last that was said of the matter. In the end Lily did prepare some tea to help everyone relax before sending everyone to bed. They would at least get a few hours of sleep before trying to catch an early Portkey out of this place, hopefully never to return.

* * *

Tom rubbed his eyes, trying to keep the sleep out. Jack watched him from his armchair with a dark expression on his face, occasionally glancing at the newspaper between them, where the Dark Mark hovered on the front page.

"So… what are we going to do about the Quidditch Cup?" he asked sombrely.

Tom clicked his tongue. "Nothing."

Jack frowned. "Nothing?"

"Nothing," repeated Tom. "Not for the time being, at least."

Jack gave him a suspicious look. "What do you mean?"

"I have to think," replied Tom curtly, before gazing into the flames crackling in his study's fireplace.

Jack gave the fire a flitting glance and then looked through the large window behind his father. It was dark outside. He briefly wondered what time it was before leaning back on his armchair and lighting a small flame with his fingers.

Tom shot him a dirty look. "Put that out," he ordered Jack right away.

The boy frowned and instead made the small flame dance around his hand. "It's not like I'm going to set fire to your desk," he defended himself. "I've been getting better at controlling this thing."

In response, Tom waved his hand and sent a gust of wind towards his heir, successfully blowing out the tiny flame. Jack looked reproachfully at him.

"That wasn't necessary."

Tom merely shrugged and went back to gazing into the fire. Jack watched him with increasing suspicion, knowing he wouldn't like whatever plan his father was cooking up in his head.

After a while of observing the man for any clues on his thinking process, Jack went back to gazing through the window at the dark forest outside. Beyond were the lights of the city, flickering in and out of existence. It was unnerving how quiet the capital had become. People were afraid. The raids had not stopped since the previous Christmas, even though now they met some serious resistance from Ebur's Aurors. However, instead of falling back, the raids now also took place in Ebur's other eight citadels, and if the newspaper was to be believed, other parts of Lemuria were now being raided as well.

He doubted the raids had anything to do with finding his 'body' anymore. It was his father's guess that the Shades had postponed the search for him and were probably looking for the remaining Key Keepers, using the raids as a smoke curtain to cover their tracks; to draw attention away from the actual plan. And of course, they must be receiving help from someone inside the governments they were attacking.

Jack thought that maybe his father was a little too fond of conspiracy theories.

Just a little.

"I'm going to call the Death Eaters again," said Tom suddenly, making up his mind about whatever he'd been thinking.

Jack snapped his gaze back on his father at the announcement, bewildered. "What? Why?"

"I can't let them run amok, can I?" snapped Tom.

"Yes you can," replied Jack with a scowl.

"The fact that you can do something doesn't mean you should," argued Tom evenly.

Jack snorted. "This coming from the Dark Lord…. That's rich, Father," he added.

Tom narrowed his eyes but refused to comment. Let the boy be childish if he wanted to be. "I _will_ call them back."

Jack shook his head. "You can't. What about your magic levels?" he cried with a bit of hysteria in his voice. He didn't want his father risking his life with a bunch of power-hungry henchmen, after all.

"What about them?" Tom shot back, raising an eyebrow sardonically.

Jack frowned. "You do remember Durza, right? Thanks to him, your magic isn't what it was before… what if the Death Eaters notice? You could wait for two more years-"

"There is nothing to notice," Tom snapped again.

Jack cursed his father's pride in his head and glared. "If I know you –and I believe I do- then one of the first things you're going to do when you see the Death Eaters is curse them. What if your Cruciatus isn't as strong as it used to be? What if they realize that they can take a bit more of abuse while they wait for you to turn your head, and then, _BAM! _They stab you in the back?"

Tom tilted his head at his heir's outburst, unfazed. "And why do you think I've kept you around for so long? Out of the kindness of my little black heart?" he asked with mock concern, placing a hand over aforementioned little black heart for dramatic effect. "You disappoint me, _Jacob_."

"Shut up, _Dad_," Jack snapped back. He hated that name.

When Tom didn't respond to his jibe, Jack shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Was he serious? Sure, Jack knew his father had never lovedhim. Cared for him? Certainly. But _love_? Not likely.

Jack didn't mind… oh, he had once, as a young boy. He had loved his father, but when the man never returned the feelings no matter what he did, he learned to accept it. It made Jack laugh that both of them covered up that they at least cared through arguments, threats, insults and generally making a nuisance out of themselves. To an outsider it would look like they didn't get along at all.

But all that aside… would his father really throw him to the Death Eaters for his own protection?

Maybe.

Possibly.

Probably.

It was just the way he was.

Father and son glared evenly at each other for a long while before an evil little smirk made its way into Tom's face. Jack regarded it with extreme suspicion.

"What?" he asked cautiously.

"Nothing," replied Tom innocently, though the smirk was still there. "I was just picturing you trying to ward off Lucius Malfoy, that's all."

Jack spluttered. "I could take on Lucius Malfoy any day!" he cried indignantly. Probably not, but his pride came first. Blame genetics.

Tom ignored him and stroked his chin. "I was just thinking… if you are so concerned as you say you are about my wellbeing-"

"I'm not."

" –then I suppose you wouldn't mind jumping into the spotlight for a while," mused Tom, again ignoring his son. "I will make the introductions, leave you to make a few _friends_, and if I know them, they will be too busy getting to know you to question me or notice anything is amiss."

Jack hissed. "And I suppose this 'getting to know me' process requires me to have my wand in my hand at all times and ward my room before I even think of sleep?"

Tom shrugged nonchalantly. "For starters."

Jack took a deep, calming breath and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "You still haven't told me what you plan to do about the Quidditch Cup?"

Tom scowled. "I told you: nothing. The incident at the World Cup will keep people on their toes for a while, wondering if there's something else coming; and with Beauxbatons and Durmstrang going to Hogwarts for the Tournament, the fear can extend overseas. If everything goes right, we might be making a comeback within a year; and this time, you'll be there."

"I'm honoured," drawled Jack sarcastically, putting a hand over his heart as he did so. "Though I have to wonder when I'll be meeting your pathetic henchmen, since I have Ingoldstadt to attend and all."

"Come home for winter holidays," replied Tom, before lifting an eyebrow. "And don't you dare bring that cousin of yours. I will not be granting him refuge again."

Jack rolled his eyes. "There's nothing wrong with Ralph, it's his father and brother that we hate, remember?"

Tom scowled at Jack's cheek. "He is still a Bloor. Bad blood."

Jack bit back a comment about Tom being the actual Dark Lord, realizing that (as he was the Dark Prince) the comment wouldn't say much about himself either.

"You do know it was Ralph's father who tipped Severus off about your survival, last Christmas, don't you?" drawled Tom casually, but still staring intently at Jack to gouge his reaction.

Jack raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained stoic. He knew the game his father was playing, and he wouldn't give him the satisfaction of winning this round. "Did he? You failed to mention that when I left for school."

Tom dismissed it with a casual wave of his hand. "We weren't on speaking terms, if memory serves."

'_Typical,' _thought Jack with no small amount of annoyance, still maintaining his neutral father's eyes narrowed at his lack of expression and Jack gave himself a mental pat on the back in congratulations. Of course Reuben Bloor would know he was alive, he went to school with his two sons but… "Why would he do something like that? What if you hadn't gotten to Snape in time and he'd taken the information to Dumbledore?"

Tom rubbed his left eye and took his sweet time answering. Jack tried not to tap the surface of the desk with impatience.

At long last, Tom fixed his heir with his green gaze and grimaced lightly. "Bloor's idea of a prank on me. He wouldn't have done it if he didn't know I could stop Severus in time, he's not _that_ foolish. Probably disliked the fact that his youngest is best mates with you. I wouldn't like to be Ralph Bloor during the summer, that's for sure."

Jack's mask finally cracked with those last words, and he looked down at the desk's surface guiltily. He knew his father was smirking triumphantly somewhere above his head but he ignored it. "I know Ralph said he chose to be my friend regardless of his father's opinion, but I still feel like what he goes through is all my fault."

Tom laughed. "Oh, but it is your fault, brat."

Jack shot him a dirty look. "You're supposed to at least look sympathetic."

Tom merely kept on smirking placidly, something only the Dark Lord could pull off. "Come home for the Holidays," he said again after a pause, as if the conversation on Ralph and Snape hadn't happened. "We will go to England and work our way up from there. That's where most of the Death Eaters are, after all."

Jack's insides froze with nerves. The only Death Eaters he had ever met were the three Lestranges: his father's most loyal; those who would never dare lay a finger on him. He'd gotten on with Rodolphus and Rabastan well enough, but Bellatrix had always sniffed disapprovingly at him for some reason. Jack put it down to jealousy. The woman probably thought that she would have made a better job as a mother than Jack's actual mum. Meanwhile, Jack was eternally grateful to his father for choosing Sam over Bella. Just picturing Bella crooning at him made him want to gag.

His repulsion must have shown on his face because his father frowned. "We will start small, of course," he told Jack, watching the boy's reactions with interest. "Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, Nott, Avery, Macnair… not so sure about Macnair, actually, he _is _kind of violent –Jack's face turned grey- and Pettigrew, certainly. A coward, but dead useful in his time."

"What about the Lestranges?" asked Jack.

"They will be free in due time," replied Tom, joining his long fingers at the tips. "We can't just barge into Azkaban and break them out. Not yet."

Jack nodded and went back to looking through the window. Not so far away was Ivy Draven's house, his only friend from Ingoldstadt that lived in Ebur as well. He had yet to visit her this summer… maybe he would, tomorrow. For some unexplainable reason, he suddenly felt like he must make the most out of this summer. For should his father's plans work this coming year… well, he might just never return home at all.

* * *

**A/N: **I love Jack and Tom.


	30. The Tournament

**A/N:** Ok... it's not as long as I wanted it to be, but I got caught up in finals and we're moving to the other side of town, so my house now looks like Boxville and between packing and studying, I just wasn't able to continue... hence why I'm posting this right now. I didn't want to keep you guys waiting for much longer than I already have. I don't know when the next update will be ready since this time I don't have much of it written down, but it's pretty much drafted in my head... just have to find the time to actually write it heh

Laks, your review wasn't signed so I couldn't reply, but I just want you to know that I appreciate your review and thank you so much for reading :)

* * *

**Chapter 29 - The Tournament

* * *

**

Orion tried very hard to stop his teeth from chattering, but he was so cold! It'd been raining- no, _pouring_ all day and then crossing the lake didn't help his mood. A boy had fallen in, though; some Dennis Creevey, and it had made him laugh in an odd, twisted way. Still, he was wet, cold, hungry, and nervous, and his friend Miles kept on muttering _'Oh Merlin, Oh Merlin'_ under his breath… it was beginning to irk him. The Hat had just finished its song and the woman that Kristy had said was Professor McGonagall was already calling out the first name.

"Ackerley, Stewart!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

"Baddock, Malcolm!"

"SLYTHERIN!"

"Already on the 'Bs'?" cried Orion quietly, horrified.

"Though luck, mate," said Miles, as Professor McGonagall called, "Black, Orion!"

Orion took a deep breath and glanced at his older friends at the Gryffindor table, all cheering him on. He stepped up to the stool and placed the Sorting Hat on his head.

"Another Black?" the Hat cried in his mind, startling him. "Does this line ever end?" the Hat wondered.

Orion frowned and scoffed at it. "Why should it? I'll be sending you my kids for that, just you wait!"

The Sorting Hat chuckled (it could chuckle!?). "I know just what to do with you, lad… GRYFFINDOR!"

Orion let out a sigh of relief and set the Hat back on the stool, then hurried to the cheering Gryffindor table to grab a seat at Luke's side. Ron thumped him on his back, and Fred and George shook his two hands vigorously. Later, Creevey and Miles joined them, as well as Nathalie McDonald. After that Orion got distracted with something Miles was saying and lost track of the names of his new classmates, and pretty much lost track of the night when the food appeared on the golden plates; at least until dessert disappeared and Dumbledore stood for the start of year announcements. Orion nodded absentmindedly at each thing Dumbledore said, but one thing in particular caught his attention.

"It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."

"_What?" _Orion heard Harry gasp. The Weasley twins were also mouthing soundlessly at Dumbledore, but the Headmaster went on. "This is due to an event that will be starting in October, and continuing throughout the school year. I am pleased to announce that–"

But at that moment, there was a deafening rumble of thunder and the doors of the Great Hall banged open. There stood a man, leaning on a long staff. He lowered his hood and shook a mane of dark grey hair, then he began to walk to the teacher's table.

"Hey, I know him," whispered Ron. "He's Mad-Eye Moody!"

"The Auror?" asked Kristy, taking another look at the stranger. "It's been ages since I last saw him!"

"May I introduce our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher?" said Dumbledore brightly when Moody reached the table. "Professor Moody."

The entire Hall remained silent as Moody took his place among the teachers. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"As I was saying… we are to have the honour of hosting a very special event. It is my pleasure to announce that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."

The Hall immediately erupted in excited and confused whispers, prompting Dumbledore to explain what the Tournament was about. Three schools, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, would be competing for the Triwizard Tournament Cup and a prize of one thousand Galleons. However, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would be arriving until the Halloween feast. Before the school could get too excited, however, Dumbledore warned them that only the seventh years could participate.

Orion groaned. "Aw, typical. We never get to do anything fun because we're too young!" he complained to Miles.

"But people have died in that Tournament," said a first year girl sitting across them. "We don't know much magic, we wouldn't survive!"

Miles frowned at the girl that had butted in their conversation. "Who are you?" he asked a bit crossly.

The girl sniffed. "I'm Nathalie. And I'm serious. I think it was smart of Professor Dumbledore to set an age limit so not everyone can participate."

Orion scowled at her, knowing she was right and not liking it. He didn't say anything but rested his chin on his arms, resolutely avoiding her. He could feel Luke shaking, trying to keep his laughter in. Orion resisted the urge to elbow him.

Nothing too exciting happened until Halloween, when the other two schools arrived. Orion was a bit disappointed… Harry and Kristy always brought back amazing stories from Hogwarts, and even near death experiences a couple of times. He wanted that, he wanted adventure; he wanted to do something daring. Maybe to Snape, to honour his father? He'd voiced his idea to Miles, but Nathalie –who'd somehow latched on to them since the feast and was now some sort of friend- told him he was suicidal. After all, Snape didn't have a reputation as a vampire just because of his bellowing robes. Perhaps Nathalie was right…

The most interesting thing so far had been Professor Moody. He'd taught the older students about the Unforgivable Curses, and actually performed them in front of the class. In a way, he was jealous. Even his sister had seen them! But _nooo_, first and second years were still too young even by Moody's standards. They had only heard theory about them so far, and only because the story leaked that Moody was performing them. Not that DADA was bad or anything... but it could be _that_ much exciting!

But back in the here and now, Durmstrang was sitting at the Slytherin table and Beauxbatons with the Ravenclaws. It wasn't fair, and Ron agreed with him fervently. On the one hand, Viktor Krum had come with Durmstrang, and on the other, Beauxbatons had brought along a half-veela beauty called Fleur Delacour who had most males in the Great Hall drooling. Orion found himself wondering if she wouldn't mind a younger boyfriend.

Each school had brought a delegation of twelve students, and they had all submitted their names before the Halloween feast. Orion had seen a few Hogwarts students submit their names, too, among them Hufflepuff's star boy, Cedric Diggory. At least Angelina had submitted her name for Gryffindor, but the Weasley twins had failed because of Dumbledore's Age Line. Gave them a good laugh, though...

"Can I have your attention, please?" Dumbledore's voice boomed suddenly. The Great Hall went completely silent and Orion rubbed his hands together in anticipation.

"Finally," whispered Miles to him. "It's been long enough."

"The Goblet of Fire is about to make its decision," Dumbledore spoke to the Hall at large. Excited whispers rose from everyone present. "In about a minute, I believe. I ask those chosen to please stand, walk by the staff table and then cross the door behind us, where you will receive your instructions for the first task."

All eyes moved from Dumbledore to the Goblet when its blue flames suddenly turned red, and a long tongue of flame spit out a charred piece of parchment.

Dumbledore caught it and unfolded it carefully. "The Durmstrang champion is... Viktor Krum!"

The Great Hall exploded in cheers and clapping for him, as Krum made his way to the staff table. People thumped him on his back and Karkaroff cheered louder than anyone for him.

The Hall quieted down again once Victor disappeared behind the door and the Goblet's flames turned red again. Dumbledore caught the piece of parchment and unfolded it as well. "The Beauxbatons champion is... Fleur Delacour!"

Once again clapping and cheering for the beautiful half-veela girl. Orion heard Ron sigh when she passed close to their table and he laughed. Some of Fleur's classmates, though, even dissolved into tears, but because they hadn't been chosen.

When Fleur also disappeared behind the door, silence once again fell over the Hall. The Hogwarts champion was next, and all four houses were holding their breath. The Goblet's blue and white flames turned red for the last time, and another piece of parchment flew into Dumbledore's hand. "The Hogwarts champion is... Cedric Diggory!"

The Hall clapped for Cedric, but loudest of all did the Hufflepuff table. Orion was a bit disappointed it hadn't been a Gryffindor, but oh well... they had a champion now. Cedric disappeared behind the door like the other two, and Dumbledore quieted down the students.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore called happily. "We now have our three champions, and I'm sure I can count upon all of you to lend your support to them. By cheering your champions on, you will be contributing to-"

But Dumbledore suddenly stopped. The fire in the goblet had turned red agai, and a long flame had shot up with yet another piece of parchement. Dumbledore reached out a hand and seized it. He stared at the name written on it for a very long time, while everyone stared at him. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out - _"Harry Potter."

* * *

_

"Hey, have you seen this?"

Jack caught the small fireball Kenichi had just thrown at him and paused the game. "Seen what?" he asked Ivy, who was sitting across from them with The Oracle open on top of her crossed legs.

"The Triwizard Champions were chosen a few days ago. There's an interview with them and pictures," she replied, passing the page and scanning its contents. "Harry Potter made it in."

Jack's eyes widened and he sat up straighter. "_Harry Potter!?_ Are you serious?" he almost yelled.

"Shush!" Kenichi snapped at him, glancing around at the other students in the Main Common Room. Several had looked up to glance at Jack's outburst with annoyance before going back to their homework.

Jack scowled at him and extinguished the fireball they'd been throwing at each other. "Sissies… can't handle a little noise," he grumbled, before focusing his attention on Ivy again. "How on Earth did Potter manage to get in? Is he suicidal or something?"

Ivy pushed a string of light brown hair behind her ear and shrugged. "That's not all. He seems to be the fourth champion… no one knows how _that_ happened. There's an interview with him here, but that's pretty much all there is about the Tournament. It seems the reporter was a bit taken with him."

Jack pushed himself up from the floor and went to sit next to Ivy. He looked over her shoulder at the newspaper and grimaced at the picture of Potter taking up most of the page. "The guy survives a Killing Curse and the world goes down on its knees for him," he said distastefully. "What does the interview say?"

Kenichi and Ivy exchanged a quick glance, both thinking the same thing. Potter was a sensitive subject when around Jack, since it had been his father who cast the failed Killing Curse in the first place. Kenichi joined the pair and glanced down at the newspaper from behind Ivy's other shoulder. Even from afar, he could tell the interview was utter crap.

Yes, my parents freaked out when they heard that I'd been chosen… They have been supportive, but they're scared for me because of what happened to my brother all those years ago… An incurable disease, yes. The best Healers treated him and he lived a little longer thanks to them, but he died before they knew what they were dealing with… Yes I miss him, even though I didn't really know him. I have always felt like I'm missing a part of me… I still cry at night sometimes, and I'm not ashamed to admit it… I know the Tournament will be hard, but I'm not scared because I know Alan never truly left me…

Jack grimaced deeply at that point and turned away from the interview. He glared at one of the fireplaces at the other side of the room and refused to look back at the newspaper. Kenichi and Ivy exchanged another look but chose to ignore Jack's odd behaviour. Whenever Potter came up, Jack usually showed interest for a moment before losing it entirely. His friends had learned not to comment on it.

Ivy sighed and passed the page. Here there was at least a group picture of an enormous woman surrounded by the four champions and the rest of the judges. Then on the side, smaller individual pictures of the other three champions.

"Diggory's cute," she commented suddenly.

Jack snapped out of his trance and turned back to her. "Who?"

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Cedric Diggory, dummy. The other Hogwarts champion."

Kenichi chuckled. "You mean the one that was actually meant to compete? This one's off age, I hope?"

Jack peeked at the picture of the Hufflepuff Head Boy and huffed disapprovingly. "He's too old."

Ivy laughed. "Don't be ridiculous, Jack. It's not like I'm going to date him. He's just got a nice face, is all."

"Who's got a nice face?" asked Ollie Torrson, Ivy's best friend and Tancred's little sister. The trio looked up at the newcomer and Ivy patted the spot in front of her, inviting her to sit down with them.

"Cedric Diggory, the Hogwarts Champion," replied Ivy, showing her the pictures. "Viktor Krum is there, too."

Jack crossed his arms over his chest and glanced disdainfully at the newspaper. "So Diggory's an idiot with a nice face, Potter's a cry-baby, and Krum's an athlete with addled brains. Must have taken him a lot of tries to get the Wronski-Feint right, that's probably the reason behind it."

Kenichi laughed and the two girls scowled at them. "You're just jealous you two aren't as famous or as good looking," said Ollie with a scowl.

"Or as skilled or as intelligent," added Ivy with a superior smirk.

Jack scoffed, slightly stung. "Oh, please. The only face worth looking at in that newspaper is Delacour's," he declared. "Prettiest girl I've seen all year," he added pointedly.

Ivy gasped dramatically. "Excuse moi?" she cried softly, staring at him.

Jack smirked. "Change your mind about Diggory and I might change mine about Delacour," he teased her.

"You're nuts if you think I'm going to give in to you that easily," replied Ivy, taking back the newspaper and folding it before she stood up, hitting Jack's chin with her shoulder in the process. On purpose, of course. "I'm off to bed. You coming, Ollie?"

"I'm right behind you," said Ollie, standing up as well. At the same time, Jack stroked his chin while playfully glaring at Ivy.

"I'll get you back for that, Draven," he told her warningly.

Ivy smiled sweetly at him. "Oops! My bad. Maybe if you'd visited me more often during the summer it wouldn't have happened."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "I see you everyday at almost every hour in this castle… and not just because the walls insist on being transparent."

Ivy laughed. "Good night, Jack," she chuckled, turning toward the door to the Third Year common room. "Night, Kenichi!" she called over her shoulder, Ollie hurrying up to match her step while waving good-bye to the boys.

After they disappeared through the door, Kenichi rounded on Jack with a smirk. "So Ivy, eh?"

Jack frowned. "Ivy what?"

Kenichi's smirk curled up just a little more. "You know _what_."

"What? _Ivy_?" Jack scoffed. "Of course not!"

Kenichi rolled his eyes. "_Good night, Jack. Night, Kenichi_,_" _he said in a high-pitched voice that sounded disturbingly like Ivy's. "Notice the order of importance?"

Jack shook his head. "You're paranoid, Oosaki. What does it matter if she wished me a good night before she did to you?"

"Fine, remain in denial," said Kenichi, running a hand through his orange hair. "But there's something there, and you know it. It's painfully obvious, mate."

Jack laughed sardonically. "Kenichi, unless Ralph can see it, it's not painfully obvious. Where _is _he, by the way?"

The half Magi shrugged. "Charms project with Amy, he said."

Jack frowned and then lifted an eyebrow. "We don't have a Charms project…" he said suspiciously.

Kenichi blinked a couple of times and exchanged a confused glance with Jack. Then it dawned and both smirked. "So that's what they're calling it these days," said Kenichi. "_Charms project_. Clever."

Jack laughed. "So Ralph's not as stupid as he looks."

"Indeed," said Kenichi. "I bet he picked today because of the full moon. No Tancred tonight to barge in and interrupt."

"Yeah… though I know Tancred isn't as faraway as he seems to be," mused Jack, remembering the time when it came out to the light that he was the Dark Prince. "He's a werewolf after all. He senses things. Besides, I don't think there's anyone in this castle who doesn't know that Ralph has a thing for Amy. You remember his face when she kissed me last year?"

Kenichi burst out laughing at the memory. "I think he handled himself well," he said with a chuckle. "I'd bet anything Aura gave Amy that dare just to see Ralph's face. Though I enjoyed your reaction the most. You looked like you'd been struck with an Imperius."

Jack let out a sarcastic laugh and stood up. "Good night, Oosaki. Don't bother coming up to the dorm, the door will be locked."

Kenichi laughed again. My, was he in a good mood. "We're roomies, you can't lock me out, idiot."

Jack grimaced. "Seriously? How the hell do you know that?"

Kenichi winced. "Remember that time after Firewielding practice? I told you not to try the Fire Whip, but you did it anyway? How it got out of control and you burned my arm? You were pretty much the last person I wanted to see that day," he added resentfully, touching his covered right forearm where the burn mark was now.

Now Jack winced at the memory. "Yeah, I can't blame you for wanting to lock me out… I'm still turning in, though. I'll see you tomorrow."

Kenichi blew a strand of orange hair out of his face and stared at Jack. "It's alright if you don't want me to come up, you know? I'll understand if you're planning to get Ivy up there instead," he added with an evil smirk.

"Knock it off!"

Kenichi merely cackled.

* * *

Later that month, Jack watched Ralph as he lazily wove his hand around, creating small whirlwinds that made his hair move slightly with the breeze. It was a wet November afternoon and he really didn't feel like doing anything. He tried to ignore his Dark Arts and Transfiguration homework nagging him on the back of his head. He would do them later… they weren't his best subjects for nothing, after all.

Tancred yawned. He was lounging on the armchair next to Jack's, just as bored as his black haired friend. Kenichi was nowhere in sight. Ms. Sanan had called him to the Hospital Wing like every week since Jack had accidentally burned him, to see if they could get the mark removed. It seemed to be working.

"The First Task was today, wasn't it?" asked Tancred out of the blue.

Jack looked up at him. "What task?"

"The Tournament," explained Tancred. "Today is the twenty-fourth. The First Task was supposed to be today."

"Oh," said Jack, before yawning and stretching out. "I suppose we'll find out what it was tomorrow morning, and who won. _Hades_, the Firewielding lessons are going to kill me!" he cried suddenly, massaging his left shoulder.

"Why?" asked Ralph lazily, turning the whirlwind into a slight breeze that accidentally blew away some papers in another student's desk.

Jack blew the hair out of his eyes. "All attack and hardly any defence," he said. "It's no fun when your far more experienced teacher insists on pummelling you, and you have no means of defence but throwing yourself to the floor. My shoulder looks purple from all the times I did that today."

Tancred laughed at him. "Tough luck! Airwielders are the masters of defence, aren't we, Ralph?"

Ralph smirked. "We can do offence, too, Tancred."

"Never said we couldn't," said Tancred with a shrug. "It's about the last thing we'll learn, though."

"And defence is the last thing _I _learn," grumbled Jack. "Fire just isn't solid enough… I'd have to be able to create Blue Fire, and that's _way _out of my league right now. My godfather didn't master it until he turned twenty-four. It'll only get harder from then on."

"Why?" asked Tancred.

Jack sighed. "Because of the element's stages. After Blue Fire, you're supposed to be able to create lightning, then Cold Fire, and finally White Fire. There're only a couple of people out there that got to the White Fire stage," he explained. _'And if I know my father, and I do, then he'll probably nag me until I get there, too,' _he thought tiredly.

"Sounds like fun," commented Ralph with a chuckle. "A whole life of fiery nights awaits you, huzzah!"

"Ha, ha," replied Jack dryly. He then lifted an eyebrow. "Speaking of fiery nights… how's it going with Amy?"

Ralph's smile suddenly turned dreamy and he stared off into space. "Mate, I think I'm in love."

Tancred laughed and Jack smirked. "In love? You have been dating for less than a month."

Ralph scoffed at them. "Laugh all you like, but one day you two will be old farts, and my lovely wife and I will be laughing at you." He paused. "Well, make that _one_ old fart. Riddle looks like he's about to get it going with Ivy," he snickered.

"Hey!" cried Tancred.

Jack scowled. "What is it with everyone thinking Ivy and I have something going on between us?"

Ralph shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's the long talks you guys have."

Tancred smirked. "Or how you're _always _together."

"Clearly, she's standing next to me at the present moment," grumbled Jack sarcastically, but he was, of course, ignored.

"Face it, you're beginning to spend more time with her than with any of us," Ralph kept on saying.

"Not true," Jack argued. "I'm here now, and Ivy isn't around."

Tancred laughed. "That's because she's visiting the village with Ollie. But you'll see. Tomorrow you'll go straight to her table at breakfast and sit with her. You've been choosing that table for weeks now, dragging us along behind you."

Jack grumbled and sank into his armchair, realizing Tancred was right. So the next morning, just to patch up his wounded pride, he stirred clear of Ivy's table –who for some odd reason was always in the Dining Hall before he was- and sat down to have breakfast with Kenichi, Ralph and Tancred, like in the old days. Tancred and Ralph couldn't stop high-fiving each other, though, and it was getting on his nerves. He took _The Oracle_ from the post-owl and looked for the International section, to check out the Tournament results. He scoffed when he saw Potter had finished first, tied with Krum.

"So who won?" asked Kenichi, taking a spoonful of jell-O.

"By the look on his face, I'm guessing Potter," replied Ralph, snatching the newspaper from Jack and scanning it. "Yep. Correct guess. And the task was… holy crap, _dragons?_"

Jack paused in mid-bite and lifted an eyebrow. He didn't need to say '_Dragons?_' for the other three to understand that he was curious.

Ralph nodded as he read to himself. "Dragons. Are these people crazy?"

"I'm going to hazard a guess and say they are," commented Kenichi, leaning closer to Ralph so he could read, too.

Tancred snickered. "So Potter is dealing with dragons, and Jake can't ask a girl out?" he teased.

Kenichi and Ralph laughed along, but before Jack could retort, Amy walked up to their table and took the seat Ralph had been saving her.

"Morning, boys," she greeted them heartily. "Not meaning to intrude, Jack, but what's that about a girl? Ivy, I take it?"

Jack took a deep breath and prayed for patience. "I'm not even going to bother this time," he muttered darkly, choosing to continue eating his breakfast.

Amy smirked knowingly and leaned her head on Ralph's shoulder. "Ok, I won't push it. If you'd like a little help, though, I can tell her you're a good kisser. Don't _I_ know it?"

Ralph bristled and, laughing, Amy had to kiss his cheek so he would relax again. "It was only a dare, silly," she reassured him. "It's not our fault that the boy is a natural."

Jack battled with himself over whether to grimace or smirk in satisfaction, but chose to shoot a glance at Ivy's table, not that far away from theirs. So Amy was a good friend and all, but why, oh why did she have to side with everyone else? And-and… had Ivy let down her hair today? _Nice…_

He caught himself staring in time to realize that his friends were staring at him in turn. He scowled and crossed his arms over his chest as he sank into his seat, doing his best to ignore his friends' guffaws and Amy's full-blown laughter.

Honestly, what did a Dark Prince have to do to get a little respect around here?

After a while they left him alone and finished breakfast, enjoying the fact that they had a free first period. A moment later, Jack looked up when he caught movement from Ivy's table and smiled weakly at her. She returned the smile, but the evident look of disappointment on her face as she left the Dining Hall just left him feeling guilty for the rest of the day.

* * *

A week after the First Task, Harry found himself in the Transfiguration classroom, and he was so bored that he ended up sparring with Ron with a pair of fake wands that Fred and George had invented. Professor McGonagall wasn't too pleased.

"Potter! Weasley! If you wouldn't mind acting your age for a moment, I have an announcement to make," she snapped at them sternly.

Ron and Harry exchanged looks and the whole class laughed at them. McGonagall signalled at everyone to be quiet and the classroom went back to its sober state.

"As I was saying," she said, sweeping the room with a hard look, "to honour our guests and as a part of the Triwizard Tournament, this coming Christmas day the school will hold a Yule Ball, that is, a dance."

Harry half groaned and looked distastefully at the girls that were giggling and whispering excitedly between them. They looked way too eager in his opinion.

McGonagall quieted down the room once more and the class looked at her again. "As it is," she said, "all those who plan to attend must wear dress robes for the occasion. Fourth years and up can attend, but younger students can attend by invitation only. And Gryffindors, while this is an occasion to unwind and... let out hair down, so to speak... I better not hear of any behaviour that might embarrass the school or the house, is that clear?"

There was a mumble of agreement among the Gryffindors right before the end of class, and then people started getting up and leaving the classroom, but just before Harry could follow his classmates McGonagall called him back. He waved at Ron to go on without him and he approached the teacher's desk.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Potter, the champions and their partners-"

"What partners?"

McGonagall shot him a look. "Their dance partners, Potter," she told him coldly. "It is traditional that the champions and their partners start the dance."

Harry stared. "But I don't dance…"

"Then you better learn," replied McGonagall, eyebrow raised. "You have three weeks."

* * *

"So… who are you going to ask?" Luke asked Ron and Harry later that week. "I can't go unless I'm invited, I'm a third year, but if I could…" he trailed off, glancing around, "… I'd ask Annelie Vestri."

Ron lifted his eyebrows. "How'd you do that?"

Luke shrugged. "You just approach the girl and ask, it's no big deal."

Harry sighed and glanced at the Ravenclaw table, where Cho Chang sat. "But what if she's always surrounded by giggling girls?"

"Ah well," said Luke with a sigh. "That's different… Annelie usually hangs out with Zane Hunt, but she's more of a loner. I know she likes to read by the lake."

"I would have never pinned you as a stalker, Luke," intervened Kristy, having overheard their conversation. "But as they say, never judge a book by its cover."

Luke shot her a sarcastic smile, and Kristy smiled sweetly at him.

"You guys might want to get a move on," she told Harry and Ron. "I know Seamus already asked Lavender, and half of the girls in other houses are already taken, too. Even the youngest ones are asking the older students to take them."

Harry huffed and Ron burst out laughing. Kristy raised an eyebrow at them.

"A second year Hufflepuff asked Harry to the Ball the other day, and a fifth year, too. His face was too funny, is all," replied Ron, grinning.

Harry shot him a dirty look and Kristy laughed. "Wanted much, Harry?"

"Not you, too," Harry begged her.

The last week of term became increasingly boisterous as it progressed. Rumours about the Yule Ball were flying everywhere, though Harry didn't believe any of them. Some of the teachers, like Flitwick, gave up on trying to teach them anything new, but others like McGonagall and Moody kept them working until the last minute of classes. Snape even told them he would be testing them on poison antidotes on the last day of term.

With the end of classes, decorations finally went up, and they were greater than any other year, determined to impress the foreign schools. On the last day of classes, Harry had also tried to ask Cho to the ball, but he was disappointed to find out that she was already going with Cedric Diggory. Somehow, now Harry wished he hadn't tipped Cedric off about the dragons in the first task.

He went back to the common room with a slightly bruised ego, but as soon as he stepped through the portrait of the Fat Lady, he saw he wasn't the only one in that particular situation.

"What happened?" he asked the Weasley siblings as soon as he saw them.

Ginny grimaced. "Em… Ron tried to… eh–"

"Why, Harry?" cried Ron suddenly. "I don't know how it happened. She was just there talking to Diggory, and I just asked!"

"Yelled, was more like it," corrected Ginny, patting Ron's arm sympathetically. "Fleur Delacour," she added for Harry's benefit. "He tried to ask her to the ball."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Probably turning up her charms so Diggory would ask her to the ball, and you got caught in it. It was a waste of her time… Diggory's going with Cho. I just asked her."

Ron looked up at him. "This is mad. We can't be the only ones left without a partner – well, except for Neville. He asked _Hermione!_"

"What?" said Harry, frowning back at him.

Ron nodded. "Yeah. But she turned him down, told him she was already going with someone. Ha! As if!"

Just then, Hermione climbed in through the portrait hole.

"Why weren't you two at dinner?" she asked, joining them.

"Because they've just been turned down by the girls they asked to the ball," replied Ginny promptly.

"Thanks a bunch, Ginny," said Ron sourly.

"All the good-looking ones taken, Ron?" said Hermione loftily. "Well, I'm sure you'll find someone _somewhere_ who'll have you."

But Ron was staring oddly at Hermione. "But, Hermione… you're a girl!"

"Oh, well spotted, genius," she said acidly.

"Well, you can come with one of us!"

"No, I can't."

"Oh, come on," he said impatiently. "We'll look real stupid if we don't have partners, everyone else has…"

Hermione blushed. "I can't, Ron. I'm already going with someone."

"No you're not!" said Ron.

Hermione glared at him. "Just because it's taken you _four _years to notice it, doesn't mean no one else realized I'm a girl!" she snapped angrily, taking off

"Kristy!" cried Harry, stumbling back a few paces. "I… er… I didn't see you there…"

Kristy smiled wanly. "Hello, Harry. Sorry I gave you a start… I just had a dream and I couldn't go back to sleep, so I came down here."

Harry nodded and sat down next to her. "A dream, huh?"

Kristy shrugged. "It's not important. I've been having it for a while now, and I just can't make sense of it. It's kind of annoying, really. What about you? Couldn't sleep?"

"Sort of…" he replied, looking into the fire. "I guess you could say I'm nervous."

Kristy chuckled. "Why, oh mighty Tournament Champion? Do dragons plague your dreams?"

Harry smiled briefly. "I wish it were dragons," he said. "But it's actually the Ball… I just… well, I wish I could fight the dragon again instead."

"Why?" asked Kristy with a small laugh. "Dancing isn't all that dangerous."

He shrugged. "It can be if you don't know how to dance. You can step on your partner's feet… or drop them, or something."

Kristy shook her head at him. "You won't step on your partner's feet, Harry."

"No, I guess I won't… seeing as I don't have one," he added with a sigh.

Kristy stared at him, surprised. "You don't? But the Ball is a week away!" she cried softly. "Harry, you're one of the champions. You have to start the Ball, you need a partner!"

Harry winced. "Yes, I know but… how can I ask just one girl to come to the Ball with me if girls are always travelling in _packs_?"

Kristy laughed. "Harry, you just have to take one aside, pop the question, and then be on your merry way. It's not that hard."

"Easy for you to say, it's not you doing the asking," replied Harry with a huff. "Who are you going with, anyway?"

Kristy raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to the Ball. I'm a third year remember? The Ball is for fourth years and up."

Harry gave her a stunned look, realizing that, in fact, he and Kristy were not in the same school year. "But Ginny's going," he argued weakly.

"Neville asked her," explained Kristy with a slight nod. "And don't tell anyone but I've actually seen him dancing here and there. Practicing, no doubt," she added with a small smile.

Harry grinned. "Yeah, I've caught him at it once or twice. When he thinks no one's looking."

They settled into companionable silence, letting the dying flames hypnotize them, and just when Harry had started to nod off an idea struck him.

"Hey, Kristy?" he called softly.

Kristy had her eyes closed, but she made a soft noise in her throat to let him know she was listening.

"What if…" he began hesitantly, shooting her a sidelong glance. "I mean… would you, er… _?_"

Kristy snapped her eyes open and looked at him strangely. "What did you say? I didn't… quite catch that, Harry. Sorry."

Harry took a deep breath and looked at everything in the common room except her. "The Ball," he began, once again. "Would you like to… you know… go with me?"

Kristy took a moment to process Harry's request. Had he just really asked her to the Ball? Her? Kristen Black?

"Um, I… I don't know what to say, Harry," she confessed, shell shocked. "I really wasn't expecting that. I mean, why me?"

Harry nervously scratched the back of his neck. Drat, he wasn't expecting that question either. "Well, you're one of my best friends, right? And I know you aren't really fond of dancing, and neither am I, so maybe we could start the Ball, dance a waltz or two and then hang out. Just the two of us?"

Kristy stared at him for a while longer and then blinked herself out of her reverie. "But-but I would need a gown, or dress robes, and I didn't really bring any… and the shoes, and the hair- and the Ball is only a week away! That's a lot to do in very little time!" she cried slightly hysterically.

Harry smiled in amusement. "Should I take that as a 'yes'?"

Kristy sniggered. "Of course that's a 'yes', silly. How could I ever say no to you?"

Harry breathed out a sigh of relief and gave her a grateful smile. "Thank you so much, Kristy. You've saved my life. How could I ever repay you?" he joked.

"There's nothing to repay, stupid," replied Kristy with a laugh, now in a considerably better mood. "I'd really like going with you," she admitted with a slight blush, before she caught herself.

'_Well, that's odd,' _she thought, while Harry smiled himself silly. _'I thought I was over that crush… we were just kids! It couldn't still be around, could it? Besides, Ginny likes him! I can't do this to her.'_

'_But he did ask you, and not her,' _reminded a little voice in the back of her head.

'_It's only natural, we've known each other our whole lives…'_

'_But he's also known Ginny for the longest time!' _crowed the little voice in triumph.

'_Well, I'm his godfather's daughter. He's closer to me, so it makes sense.'_

'_So you agree.'_

Kristy nearly sputtered. _'That's not what I meant! It just- oh drat, why am I even arguing with myself?'_

'_Maybe you're insane.'_

'_Shut up!'_

"Kristy?" called Harry, giving her an odd look. "Are you ok? Your eyes went all funny for a moment…"

Kristy snapped back to reality and smiled at Harry. "What? Oh no, I just need some sleep. And I was thinking about writing to my parents, since I need a gown now."

Harry nodded and his grin came back, full force. "Right. You told me you didn't bring one… sorry about that."

'_Nice save.'_

'_You again?' _Kristy cried inside her head, while shrugging at Harry. "Don't worry about it. Leave it in my hands and it'll all turn out fine," she reassured him. Then, before her head could come up with another comment, she stood up from the couch and gave Harry a brief smile. "I think I'm going to bed now, Harry. Talk to you in the morning?"

Harry nodded and stood up as well. "Sure. I'm turning in myself. But I was thinking… is Devanee going home?"

Kristy shook her head. "No, she wanted to stay in hopes of going to the ball, but she wasn't asked."

Harry smirked. "How would she like going with Ron?"


	31. Tug of War

A/N: Again, not as long as I intended... but didn't want to keep you waiting any longer. College is being a biatch, as usual. Don't have time for myself anymore, and I'm trying to fix some trouble with my ex. We both want to get back together, but with the family situation it's not as easy as it seems. Ugh. Anywho... enough of my personal life. Thank you all for reading and being so incredibly patient with me x) you guys are my idols!

* * *

**Chapter 30 – Tug of War**

* * *

"We're here!" cried Tancred, looking through one of the windows at the same time the _White Dragon _was anchored at port.

Jack looked up from his book –_Black Magic and the Threefold Law_- and confirmed that, indeed, the ship had stopped. He could hear the cries of seagulls and the sound of people making their way to the ramp to greet their families. It was quite dark outside.

"We better move," said Kenichi, swinging his bag over his shoulder. "Before everyone else in the lower levels does, or we'll never get out."

"We're not that many, Kenichi," replied Jack, marking the page he was reading and putting away his book. A sudden wave of nerves attacked him then, and he had to pause to gather his thoughts. Before the end of classes, his father had sent him a letter instructing him to pack for the British winter, and to read as much as he could on counter-curses and the Dark Arts. His father wanted to leave for England as soon as he disembarked from the _White Dragon, _which meant he would have no time to check in at home for anything he might have forgotten.

"I don't want to go home," complained Ralph, his expression turning dark. "My father hates me, and Manfred won't stop giving me these sorry looks. I swear, if I didn't care so much about Mother, I wouldn't mind staying in the village in Arx Crystallus."

"You just didn't want to leave Amy behind," teased Tancred.

Ralph huffed. "Just because Rosie is a First Year, and Amy didn't want to leave her alone in Christmas."

Kenichi rolled his eyes. "They're sisters. I wouldn't leave my sister alone either."

Just then Kenichi's younger sister, Natsumi, walked up to them and tapped her brother's shoulder. "What about me?"

"Never mind, Nat," he told her. "Come on. Dad will be waiting."

Jack smiled at Natsumi to distract himself and she smiled back. She was usually a very shy girl, but didn't mind her brother's friends. Like Kenichi, her eyes were amber, but unlike him, her hair was black and not orange. The two siblings were very close. Out of his friends, he was the only one without a brother or sister, and seeing them together often made him wonder what it would have been like having a big brother to tag after, or a little sister to keep boys away from. Likewise, a big sister to annoy or a little brother to fool into thinking he was adopted. He couldn't hold back a smirk at the thought.

"So shall we?" prompted Ralph.

The group started forward and eventually made it to the deck, mingling with the rest of the students. Tancred stood on tiptoe so he could look over the heads of the crowd, no doubt looking for his sisters, but caught sight of the rest of his family instead, waiting for them down in the dock.

"Hey!" he cried. "They're all here! Even Emily came!"

"Who?" asked Ralph distractedly, having spotted his brother.

"My parents and my other three sisters," replied Tancred. "Jade, Chloe and Emily. It's the first time we're all here."

Jack looked away from his friends and looked down at the throng of people on the dock. His father would be somewhere there, probably glaring at anyone who came too close. Yeah, his father was quite amusing… in an odd psychopathic way, of course.

The four friends then wished each other a Happy Christmas and went their separate ways to their families. Jack was the first to walk down the ramp, since he had no siblings to look for still on board. There was someone he wanted to see before he went looking for his father, though…

"Ivy?" he called to the girl not too far away from him.

Ivy spun around and beamed at him. "Hey! I thought I wouldn't see you before you left. You going on holiday, right?"

Jack grimaced. "Something like that…"

Ivy looked sympathetic and beckoned him to her. "Yeah, I'll be leaving, too. My parents want to visit Fulgur. It's a shame we won't both stay home, eh?"

Jack smiled wanly and led the way to the foot of the ramp. "I would have much preferred that. I don't want to go back to England."

"Never been there," she said. "One day, though…. Oh! That's my parents," she cried suddenly, pointing somewhere ahead of her. "Come meet them!" she added cheerfully, dragging him along as she said it.

Jack made a feeble attempt at resistance. "Ivy, I don't think that's-"

"Hi, Mum," the girl greeted a rather attractive woman, before standing on tiptoe to kiss her cheek.

Jack stepped aside and watched the family of four greet each other. They were all brunettes. Ivy's little brother, Isaac, sent him a suspicious look that Jack was happy to return. Thankfully, Ivy didn't ignore him for long.

"Oh, Mum, Dad, this is… Daniel. Daniel McKnight. He's that friend from school that also lives here."

The parents exchanged a brief significant look, and then Ivy's father gave him a brief nod. "Our pleasure. Nicholas Draven, and this is my wife Selene. Ivy might have told you about Isaac already," he said politely.

Jack nodded back, appreciating the fact that Ivy had introduced him by his alias. Jack Riddle's survival was an Ingoldstadt secret, after all. "Pleasure is mine, sir. And yes, Ivy has mentioned Isaac," he added, glancing briefly at the younger boy whose grey eyes were still staring suspiciously at him.

"Are you in third year as well?" asked Selene.

"Fourth, Ma'am," he replied.

Selene beamed at her husband. "He called me _Ma'am_! None of that Mrs. Draven nonsense everyone calls me," she added happily. "I think I already like you, Daniel."

Jack tried to hold back a laugh, and Ivy smiled at him. Nicholas shook his head at his wife and pulled his son to him in a one-armed embrace.

"So are you going anywhere for the holidays, Daniel?" he asked.

Jack nodded. "My father has some business to attend to in England, and I'll be tagging along."

Nicholas nodded in approval and ruffled Isaac's brown hair. "See, Isaac? Nothing wrong with keeping your old man some company while he's at work."

"Stop it, Dad," muttered Isaac, brushing his father's hand away. "I don't like the Wizengamot, you know that. Maybe if you took me on cool trips to Europe I'd go with you."

Nicholas clicked his tongue at the boy and shook his head. "One day, Isaac… one day…"

After a couple more questions and small talk, Jack finally disentangled himself from the Draven family and went looking for his father. He wouldn't be happy about the delay, but what the heck… he'd seen Ivy one last time and she'd kissed his cheek when she wished him a Happy Christmas. That was worth his father's annoyance in his opinion.

He kept a lookout for a tall, black haired man, but the ones he saw were either smiling or anxiously looking for their children, which he couldn't imagine his father doing. A few families were beginning to leave now, which slightly cleared the view but the Dark Lord still eluded him. After a while of searching he finally gave up and stepped out of the crowd to take a break. Apparently this was the right thing to do, because before long he heard a cold drawl right behind him.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to remember that I despise crowds; longer than I would have hoped. Now move, we're late."

Jack didn't even bother to answer and turned around to follow his father back to the dock. Hades, couldn't he be a normal father for once?

"What took you so long?" Tom asked him with an edge of annoyance in his voice.

"Nothing," muttered Jack. "I didn't take _that_ long. Just met a couple of people, is all."

Tom looked over his shoulder to glare at Jack. "I believe I told you to come straight to me."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Ivy just introduced me to her parents, that's what normal people do. I couldn't just tell her I didn't want to meet them because I had to look for you."

Tom stopped so suddenly that Jack almost ran into him. "Your girlfriend was introducing you to her parents?" he asked him incredulously.

"She's not my girlfriend!" argued Jack right away.

Tom shot him a look. "Are you _that _naïve? You can't take your eyes off her, you look especially for her to wish her a Happy Christmas, she introduces you to her parents, who by the way like you, the brother is already jealous, and she kisses you goodbye? Not your girlfriend my a-"

"Were you spying on me!?" Jack interrupted him. "If you already knew where I was, why didn't you go in and grab me?"

Tom smirked. "I was having too much fun seeing how uncomfortable you were. I didn't want to interrupt."

Jack stared at his father for a moment before crying out softly, "_What _is wrong with you?"

Tom's smirk evolved into a slightly evil one and then he turned around and kept walking without another word. Jack spluttered and hurried to catch up with him. Just then he noticed his father wasn't carrying any bags.

"Um, Father…"

"Shrunk," he replied without missing a beat.

Jack blinked in surprise. "How did you-"

He heard his father sigh in annoyance. "You're like an open book. I don't even have to cast Legilimens on you to know what's going through your head."

Jack grimaced and avoided looking at his father. "I feel raped," he stated dryly.

"Bless you," replied Tom just as dryly. "We're here."

Jack looked up and saw they'd reached the edge of port, and a medium sized boat was waiting for them. A few more people were waiting to go on board as well.

"I thought we'd get a private boat?" he asked softly.

"This takes some suspicion off us. We get our own cabin anyway," said Tom offhandedly.

"Hmm," said Jack. "Going back to England reminds me… what's become of Andor? I haven't heard from him in years."

Tom shrugged. "Destroying lives across the world, pulling urchins out of the streets, learning flamenco, why would I know?"

Jack's eyes widened. "I thought he was a family friend?"

"He was your mother's friend. He and I just had an interest in common, and lately he's the one with the freedom to investigate it, not me," replied Tom with some bitterness as they finally boarded, and got into the first empty cabin they found.

Jack shut the door behind him. "Keystones?"

"Shut your trap, boy!" snapped Tom, making Jack jump. He glared at his son for a moment before answering. "He _was _investigating them. Now Shades are top priority. They're six now, and we have to find out what they want before there is a seventh."

Jack sat down across his father and frowned in thought. "Seven Keystones, seven Shades? So Andor is trying to find out what their plan for the Keystones is before there is a Shade per Key?"

Tom lifted an eyebrow. "You're not as dense as I thought. He cut communication with us because we're both supposed to be dead, and if he is found out the Shades might find us through him. Now that we're on subject, how's your _birthday gift_?"

Jack grimaced and pulled out part of the Violet Key's chain from under his shirt. "Been here for the last seven years. It's not going anywhere."

His father nodded his approval and Jack knew that that particular conversation was finished. "Now… there are a few points we should go over before you meet the reminder of the inner circle."

Jack sighed and tapped his knee nervously. "Alright. What do I need to know?"

Tom sat back and narrowed his eyes slightly at the boy. "You do not get any particular privileges. I will not tolerate your being tortured, irreversibly maimed, Imperioed, and particularly, _killed… _like a common follower that got in the way. However, if they curse you, trick you, threaten you, or do anything I did not mention already, you are on your own. You will listen to orders and plans as they do, and you will speak to me respectfully if they are present. I will _not_ stand for your sarcastic nonsense, boy."

Jack tried not to roll his eyes. "Anything else?"

Tom narrowed his eyes at Jack's attitude, but other than that he ignored it. "You don't get to order them around. You are not a Death Eater, but you have yet to prove you are worthy of having higher status than them. As my son, I expect you to climb to the top. _Fast_."

This time, Jack did let out a huff of indignation. "Fine! Now that we're at it, should I call you _'Father'_, or _'My Lord'_, oh great sir?" he asked sarcastically.

Tom glared at him, but he was determined not to take the bait. "_'Father'_ should suffice," he replied scornfully. "Now shut up and finish your book," he added, turning away from his son and staring into the sea.

Jack grimaced slightly but did as he was told. He didn't question his father as to how he knew that he still had to finish reading his book, since now he knew that his mind was 'like an open book'. It was not as if he had something better to do, and he didn't really care about chatting with his father for the rest of the two hour journey. Besides, he wasn't a very talkative person… a trait he had gotten from his dear old dad, it seemed.

The tension between the two Riddles gradually went down as Tom started to get bored and Jack got more, and more absorbed in his reading. That was one of the main reasons Jack liked books. He learned from them and they took his mind off things, soothed him. Maybe that was his Ravenclaw side talking, but his father loved reading as well, so he couldn't really tell.

"Get up."

Jack let out a strangled groan to let his annoyance be known, and then looked up to glare lightly at his father. "Do you mind? I'm reading here."

Tom lifted an eyebrow at him. "We're here, miscreant. Not that it would bother me to leave you here drifting at sea, but my Death Eaters are expecting you and are _anxious_ to meet you," he added with mock concern.

Jack frowned. "It's been two hours already?" he said to himself. "Huh, fancy that…" he muttered, marking his unfinished book for the second time that day and getting up from his seat. That was another thing about reading; time seemed nonexistent. They exited their little cabin and then into the fresh morning air.

His father stared off into the fog, where Jack knew the pier was. It would be dawn soon in England, which meant he would be getting no sleep today. If he knew his father, and he did, then they were an hour away from being in Malfoy Manor, surrounded by his father's surviving minions. Jack sighed. _Goodbye sleep…_

"I'm going to get a nasty ship lag after this little trip," he muttered, stepping up beside his father and wrapping his cloak a little tighter around his shoulders. It was cold. "Ten time zones… this is insane."

"Stop complaining," his father chastised him. "As soon as we walk off the dock we're Apparating just outside Malfoy Manor, in Wiltshire."

Jack stayed silent, out of nerves rather than from lack of things to say. He really didn't fancy meeting a bunch of power hungry hypocrites, especially now that his father had assured him he wouldn't be getting that much protection from him. After they left the boat and left the few other passengers behind, Jack finally dared to speak.

"Have they seen you like-"

"Like this?" finished Tom, waving a hand over his face. The handsome, aristocratic features were a far cry from the old snakeface the Horcruxes had caused. "I daresay I'm quite unrecognizable like this, except perhaps for Dumbledore and old classmates like Minerva McGonagall, but I don't plan to meet _them_, now do I?"

Jack lifted an eyebrow, so similar to his father's. They were pretty much the same person, except Jack had longer hair and his features were still a bit rounder because of his youth.

Tom rolled his eyes. "To answer your question, yes, they have. They refused to believe me at first, but a quick Cruciatus took care of that."

Jack felt his insides turn and preferred to concentrate on his steps. One, two, three… one, two, three… The last plank on the floor brought his mind back to reality, and he looked up to see his father extend a forearm in his direction without a single word. He took a deep breath and almost without thinking held on to it.

The Dark Lord smirked at his Heir in dark amusement and Disapparated without any sort of warning. Jack cursed him in his head. There was no turning back now.

The next thing he knew, they were standing side by side in front of a great wrought-iron gate with seemingly no entrance. Through his nerves, Jack frowned.

"Father, what-"

As a response, Tom spared him a brief glance and walked right through them, the bars turning to smoke as he passed.

Jack blinked in surprise.

Tom scowled at him. "Don't be so obvious, boy. Don't show so much emotion. Now move, we haven't got all morning."

Jack fought back the need to snap at his annoying father, and copied him instead. He stepped through the iron gate and joined his father on the other side.

"Whoa… my compliments to the gardener," was the first thing he said.

It took all of Tom's willpower not to roll his eyes at his heir. Not for the first time he wondered why his son couldn't be more like him. Bloody teenager.

"Yes, impressive," he replied dismissively. "Lucius must have already felt us come through the wards. He should be here in a moment."

Jack raised his eyebrows at the man. "He's coming to get us? No grand entrance?"

Tom frowned at him. "Who exactly do you think you are? Emperor Tersias?"

"I'm your son!" spluttered Jack.

Tom cringed. "No need reminding me of that fact."

Jack gasped with indignation. "You- you-"

"Silence, boy!" Tom said suddenly. "Malfoy is coming."

Jack's brief moment of indignation evaporated as his heart jumped to his throat. He looked up and sure enough, a man with long blond hair was striding through the lavish gardens, shooing white peacocks out of his way. For a brief moment, Jack glanced at the peacocks and thought of how true it was that animals were similar to their owners. Beside him, his father drew himself to his full height. Damn, he was tall.

At long last, Lucius Malfoy reached them. His father was unimpressed.

"Lucius," he greeted the other man coldly. "It has been a while."

Jack schooled his features into a blank mask and met Lucius' curious glance head on.

"My Lord," replied Malfoy with a small bow. "Narcissa and I are honoured to have you and the Dark Prince in our home."

Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw the corner of his father's lips twitch, and he knew he was holding back a grimace. He almost laughed at the man's predicament.

"Rise, Lucius," the Dark Lord said impatiently. "Is everyone here?"

Malfoy straightened up, and Jack was happy to see that Tom was still a couple of inches taller. _Take that, Draco_.

"Yes, my Lord. All survivors of the Inner Circle have gathered," he answered respectfully, obviously used to the Dark Lord speaking to him in such a way. If it were Diego, Jack knew his godfather would have already snapped back.

His father nodded. "And Snape?"

"Kept out of the loop, as was Karkaroff," said Lucius right away.

"Good. Lead the way, Lucius," said the Dark Lord, beckoning him forward.

Malfoy bowed before turning his back on Jack and Tom, and started walking back towards the manor.

Jack spared his father a questioning side-glance and Tom smirked in return, before starting to walk after Malfoy. This would probably be the last he saw of his father before he went into full Dark Lord mode. Then he'd be on his own. Shaking that thought off his head, he began to follow the two men and soon fell into step with his father. He kept on looking at the gardens to distract himself from the task at hand, and smirked at the white peacocks when they passed them. Occasionally, he would stare at the back of Malfoy's blond head, and it amused him that the man seemed to have trouble not looking back at him in blatant curiosity. Lucius had never seen him before.

At the end of the cobblestone path, was a handsome manor house. Somewhere in the garden, Jack could hear a fountain gurgling. He knew his father would have a fit if he ever suggested they should have a fountain in their own garden.

As they neared the entrance, the door swung inwards on its own, expecting them. Jack hesitated for a fraction of a second, enough for his father to notice and scowl at him. Malfoy was already crossing the threshold, and his father wasn't about to wait for him.

So he steeled himself and also stepped through the door, right after his father. The hallway was large, dimly lit, and sumptuously decorated, with a magnificent carpet covering most of the stone floor. Jack felt homesick already. He missed the spacious foyer of his own home, with its large windows and curved staircases. In Malfoy Manor, the eyes of the pale-faced portraits hanging on the walls followed you as you walked past them. He felt like he was about to be hung.

At the end of the hall was a heavy wooden door, and Jack knew this was it. He'd meet the reminder of the Inner Circle, those that weren't dead or imprisoned. Malfoy turned the brass door handle and held the door open for them.

There were a few people in the drawing room, scattered over the place. Jack counted seven, which would make Lucius the eight. Lucius' wife was the only woman present. The seven stood to attention and bowed as soon as they saw who was coming through the door. Tom used the opportunity to cross the drawing room and chose to sit rather casually on an armchair close to the roaring fireplace. He then beckoned Jack to stand at his right side, and waited until the boy was firmly planted beside him before addressing his followers.

"Enough curtsying," he told them, which the Death Eaters took as a sign to straighten up and then sit down. Lucius closed the door behind him and went to sit next to Narcissa in a loveseat not too far from the fireplace either. Jack felt really odd being the only one left standing, and he had the nagging impression that his father was putting him on display… except the Death Eaters weren't really looking at him, probably out of fear that the Dark Lord hadn't given them permission to stare. This fact seemed to amuse his father.

"Well, go on," he told them with a smirk after a moment of silence. "I know you have been _dying _to lay eyes on the boy ever since I mentioned him. Especially you, Nott. And to answer your unasked question: Yes, he possesses more power than your own son can ever hope to attain."

Jack didn't show it, but he felt elated that his father thought that about him. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the Nott heir, but that was crushed when Nott senior narrowed his eyes at him in a decidedly unfriendly fashion. Feeling bold, Jack raised a defying eyebrow in response. Nott's expression did not change.

"You see," the Dark Lord continued in a dangerously pleasant tone, "this boy is my blood, my family. Any of you who doubt his power, doubt my own. Have I been clear?"

The Death Eaters paled at the Dark Lord's accusation and hastened to murmur their assent. Jack had never felt prouder. It was the first time his father _ever _stood up for him, and who were the Death Eaters to defy their Lord?

Voldemort glared evenly at each of them, and each turned their eyes away from the crimson pair. "As we had previously _discussed_, I will not tolerate any harm that might come to him, accidental or not. It would be foolish of me to expect you to treat him as a prince, but he is _not _one of you, so you will not treat him as such either," he added coldly, his tone and posture defiant. His followers seemed to shrink.

"As it is…" he continued in a softer tone, keeping his eyes on the people in front of him nonetheless. "Avery… what is going on in your Department?" he asked suddenly. It seemed the time to stare at Jack was over.

Avery jumped at being put in the spotlight, but composed himself fast enough. "Everything's smooth, my Lord. Everyone is too focused on the Triwizard Tournament turning out fine to suspect anything else is amiss."

Voldemort nodded and Jack took the opportunity to study the Death Eaters present. He'd never really seen any of them before, except for the Malfoys –in pictures- when they occasionally made the news. His father complained about them enough that he could sort of tell them apart. The two big brutes sitting farthest away from the fireplace must be Crabbe and Goyle, but he couldn't tell which was who. The blondes were obviously the Malfoys, and the most sorry looking of the lot must be the traitor, Peter Pettigrew. He was nervously looking in all directions except at him, like the rat he was. He couldn't help but being disgusted by the coward.

Avery, who was currently bringing his father up to speed with the Ministry doings, was stringy and red haired. He seemed rather nervous, as if he expected someone to blame him for a mistake he didn't make. Next to Avery was Nott. He seemed to be around his father's age, but could not hide the cruel glint in his eyes as well as the Dark Lord could. Tom could look perfectly pleasant if he so wished to… the key word being 'wished', of course.

Last, but not least, and sitting at Avery's other side, was a wall of muscle. There was no other way to describe him. Jack felt his stomach clench when the man's pale blue eyes bore into his own. Macnair. He'd learned the man's violent history from his father's ramblings. Not someone he wanted as an enemy, but that was currently looking at him as if Jack were his dinner.

Suddenly, he realized Avery had gone quiet. He took his eyes off Macnair and stared down at his father to find him deep in thought. No one dared to interrupt him.

When the silence started stretching to an uncomfortable level, the Dark Lord suddenly stood up and all Death Eaters followed suit. Jack's eyes were drawn to Macnair, standing easily at 6'4. _Bloody hell._

"Wormtail!" called Voldemort, making the short man jump a mile. "A word. Outside."

Pettigrew's fellow Death Eaters scowled at him, and Jack looked up at his father with something akin to alarm. _What was he thinking leaving him alone with these murderous bastards?_

Tom looked down at him, as if hearing the question in his head. "You stay here, and don't cause any trouble," he ordered quietly. "This won't take long," he added so only Jack could hear him. Probably his way of trying to reassure him.

He watched helplessly as his father left the drawing room, followed closely by Wormtail, who closed the door behind him with a creak. After a pause, all eyes turned back on him, either curious or hostile.

_Kill me now._

"So…" Macnair said finally. "So."

"Not inside my house, Macnair!" cried Lucius suddenly, when Macnair pulled out a cigarette and almost lit it with his wand.

Macnair raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine. I'll occupy my time on more current events," he added, putting his wand away and eyeing Jack with so much intensity that Jack almost scowled.

"What?" he said finally, sounding braver than he felt.

"He speaks!" cried Nott in mock surprise. "You had me thinking you were a mute, _my_ _Prince_."

Crabbe and Goyle guffawed in the corner. Lucius lifted his eyes to the ceiling and muttered something under his breath that made Narcissa look up at him slightly disturbed.

"_Prince_," repeated Macnair mockingly, stepping closer to Jack. "That title means nothing here."

Jack kept a wary glare on the approaching man, but refused to take any steps back. He refused to be intimidated… even if he was 5'4 feet tall and Macnair's 6'4 towered mercilessly over him.

"Do you know what your title means to us, _Prince_?" the Death Eater asked him, teasingly.

Jack scowled and stared at Macnair in the eye, but did not speak.

Macnair snarled. "Answer me, boy!" he yelled, grabbing the front of Jack's robes and lifting him off the ground to then slam him against the nearest wall. The blow left Jack almost breathless.

"Put me down!"

The Death Eater gave him a feral smile. "What are you going to do? Run to daddy, helpless runt?"

Jack glared. "_No_."

Macnair laughed. "So what's your plan, _Prince_?"

Avery took a step forward and shot Macnair a warning glance. "Walden…"

Macnair ignored his fellow Death Eater and Jack intensified his glare. "Put. Me. _Down_."

"What? You think you can order me around, _Prince_?" replied Macnair, tightening his hold on Jack's robes, all amusement gone from his face. "I'll show you what happens to those who try!"

He pulled out his wand and stabbed Jack's neck with it. Jack winced and used his Firewielding to heat up his hands until they were burning hot. Macnair let out a yelp before he could finish his incantation and let go of Jack, who crashed unto the floor. He noticed charred spots on the carpet where he'd used his already cooling hands to break his fall. Macnair was howling and clutching his injured wrist, occasionally glaring at Jack through narrowed eyes, confused.

Jack snarled at him. "I'm _not _helpless!"

Macnair let go of his wrist to pull out his wand again, enraged. "You little bast-"

"Walden!" yelled Avery, taking yet another step forward and raising his arms as if that would stop Macnair. "Don't!"

Macnair whirled around and glared at him. "This little-"

"Macnair, leave the boy be," said Narcissa Malfoy suddenly, glancing briefly at Jack who was still crouching and ready to fight if it was needed. "The Dark Lord is just outside. How do you think he will take it if he leaves for a few minutes and his Heir is injured?"

The thought of an angry Lord made Macnair lower his hand and stare at the door. He hadn't meant to hurt the boy and risk the Dark Lord's wrath. Just wanted to show the bloody imp who was boss. He had never expected the Dark Prince to retaliate.

"It's fine, Macnair," drawled Nott. "You did not hurt him. Let him cry to his father if he wants, like the little princeling he is."

That riled Jack up, which unfortunately for him, was exactly what Nott wanted. "I don't need my father," he said darkly as he stood up, realizing as the words left his mouth that he might as well have signed his own death sentence. _Damn my pride_. He had just murdered his first line of defence.

Nott smirked, knowing Jack had realized his mistake. "That is good to know."

Jack stiffened and heat up his hands again, should any of them try another stunt. He could throw fire at them, but keeping his Firewielding secret seemed like a good idea, an ace under his sleeve. The less compromising heating of the hands would have to do for now. Macnair was now examining the already purple and swelling burn that would become a scar. He was cursing.

"You bastard…" muttered Macnair, prodding the reddening flesh around the ruined one. "_What_ are you?"

Jack chose to remain silent and scowl at him instead. The door opened then, and Tom strode back in, Wormtail shaking at his heels. Macnair was quick to cover the wound with the sleeve of his robe. The occupants of the room tensed. Jack schooled his face into a nonchalant mask again, and discretely straightened his robes.

The Dark Lord looked around at them and took in how tense they all were. Even Jack. Something was wrong.

"I trust you had the time to get acquainted with each other?" he said, looking at each of them with narrowed eyes. Jack turned his head briefly to look at him, but then went back to staring off as if he were bored. Oh yes, something was wrong.

The Death Eaters muttered some uncompromising words and then bowed their heads. Tom let it pass.

"If that is all, then the meeting is adjourned. Inform me of any suspicious behaviour at the Ministry, _immediately_ and not only when I call you. Get out of my sight," he said at last.

The Death Eaters bowed and filed out of the drawing room without looking back, until only he and Jack remained inside. He faced his heir, who was still staring off nonchalantly, but Tom knew the boy well enough to know he was boiling with anger on the inside.

"Care to tell?" he drawled, sitting down again and looking at his heir with interest.

Jack looked back at him. "Tell you what, exactly?"

Tom glared at him, annoyed. "What went on in here while I was gone," replied Tom testily, looking pointedly at a reddening bruise on Jack's neck that he was certain was not there when he left.

Jack noticed and covered it with his hand at the same time he looked away. "We just got _acquainted._ Nothing else happened."

His father lifted an eyebrow. "Do I have to ask a Death Eater? _Macnair_, perhaps?"

Jack turned his head abruptly to glare at him. "I already told you nothing happened!" he snapped. Tom's gaze darkened and Jack tried to cool himself down, knowing he'd very nearly crossed the line. "It's fine, really," he added in a softer tone of voice that was still rough anyway.

Tom stroked his chin in thought and leaned back on his armchair. Jack's nonchalant mask was gone and now pure anger burned in his eyes. Anger and humiliation. He knew his son's pride, and whatever his followers had done had certainly hit him where it hurt, and it was that same pride that would drive Jack into dealing with them on his own rather than asking for his help. Good. The boy was no longer scared or nervous. Mission accomplished.

"We will be leaving before Christmas," he said suddenly, changing the subject. "Draco Malfoy and Chantal Lestrange stayed at Hogwarts for some _Ball_ at the school. Since they will be arriving the day _after _Christmas, they won't get to see you. Lucius and Narcissa will give you a spare room while I take care of some business."

That caught Jack's attention. "You're leaving me here again?" he asked with some resentment.

Tom frowned. "I cannot take you with me where I'm going. You will be comfortable enough with the Malfoys. It will just be for a couple of days. I trust you can handle that long period of separation?" he asked sarcastically.

Jack was not in the mood to play along. "Fine, I'll stay here," he replied crossly. "But if any other Death Eater steps in through the Malfoys' front door, I won't answer for any blood that is spilt."

Tom smirked, satisfied. "I can live with that."

_Oh yes, he could live with that._ And Hades, how he loathed that small bubble of pride swelling up in his chest.


	32. Unexpectance

A/N: Finally finished. This is in celebration of the summer holidays. Classes are over! (There's something wrong with the editor….)

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

**Chapter 31 – Unexpectance**

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"How do I look?"

Kristy looked away from her own reflection to take a look at Devanee's attire: a dark magenta gown, golden bracelets and recently cropped hair finished the picture. Kristy smiled mischievously.

"Very Gryffindor," she answered at last.

Devanee gasped in mock offence. "_Gryffindor? _Says the girl that looks _Slytherin_."

Kristy's eyes widened. "I don't look Slytherin!"

Devanee giggled. "You're wearing green and silver."

"It's _turquoise_, Devanee. _Turquoise_. It looks slightly blue."

"Are you seriously arguing over which House your gowns belong to?" asked Ginny, coming out of the bathroom and pining up her fiery hair. "You sound so… _girly_."

"News flash, Gin, we're girls!" laughed Annelie Vestri from the bathroom. A Hufflepuff fourth year had invited her to the Ball, so the four dorm mates would be going out tonight.

Ginny grimaced. "Yeah, I forget sometimes, you know?"

Kristy and Devanee giggled.

"How much time have we got left?" asked Annelie, coming out of the bathroom and straightening her lilac gown.

"Not much," replied Devanee, going back to retouching her makeup. Kristy watched them for a moment before turning back to her mirror to look at herself again. True to her word, her grandfather's necklace was still around her neck. It was a good thing her mother had sent her a gown that matched.

"We should probably go downstairs," she said. "The boys will be waiting for us."

Devanee laughed. "Neville and Annelie's Hufflepuff-"

"Wayne!" clarified Annelie.

"Neville and _Wayne_ will be waiting," she corrected herself. "But you know Harry and Ron. I think we're better off waiting for them downstairs."

Kristy nodded and left her spot in front of the mirror. "So shall we?"

The other three nodded, put the finishing touches on themselves –not that they needed them anymore, but nerves make people think they can still do something better- and left the dormitory to join the crowd of Gryffindor students leaving the Common Room.

Down in the Hogwarts dungeons, a boy kept primping himself in front of a full body mirror while a younger girl looked on, looking decidedly bored. She kept on thinking that somehow their stereotypical roles had been reversed; she'd been sitting on his bed for at least an hour watching him get ready. But of course… what could you expect from a Malfoy?

"Veredict?"

"Black," drawled Chantal Lestrange, looking at Draco Malfoy from head to foot.

Draco raised an eyebrow at her. His dress robes were indeed black. "Are you serious?"

Chantal smirked. "Of course I'm serious. It'd be kind of stupid if I said 'red', don't you think?"

Draco huffed. "I'm not having this conversation. I doubt Pansy will complain."

Chantal giggled. "Oh yes, her flashy pink will go nicely next to your black. You'll be like a walking advert."

"Ha. Ha. You are so not funny," he replied, turning back to the full body mirror. At least it was only Chantal and not his dorm mates. Zabini and Nott would have a field day if they saw him checking himself out in the mirror. Chantal was too shy to say anything. Besides, she was used to his habits. She had lived with his family for four years, since her father –and their aunt and uncle- had been sent to Azkaban. Chantal was the closest thing he had to a cousin, because in his head, Nymphadora Tonks didn't count.

He ran a hand over his slicked hair, and saw Chantal's reflection roll her eyes. He ignored her.

"You know…" he said slowly. "If you were a bit nicer to me, I would have asked you to the Ball."

Chantal snorted. "Like I would have said yes. You know I hate large crowds _and_ parties."

Draco clicked his tongue. "That makes me wonder if your dad is actually your father. Rabastan likes his parties."

"Have you considered that maybe my mother didn't?" argued Chantal with a little scowl.

Draco shrugged it off. "I think it's time to go. Don't want to be late."

Chantal lost the scowl and smirked instead. "It'd be funny if you were late and Pansy thought you abandoned her. I'd pay to see her tantrum."

Draco looked at her. "And you're the sweet and shy heir of the Lestrange family? Yeah right," he said with a snort. Chantal pouted and Draco smirked. He picked up his cloak and swung it over his shoulders. "See you tomorrow."

The girl rolled her eyes and watched him stroll out. Ugh, Draco Malfoy. Good kid. Massive ego. She was glad she wasn't his date.

_Really._

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

"Where _are _they?" asked Ron, looking over the dimming crowd in the Common Room. "You don't think we're late, do you?"

Harry raised his eyes to the ceiling. "We _are_. You insisted on getting rid of the frills before coming down here. You took your sweet time."

"Hey, it's my reputation at stake here!" argued Ron, looking back at his best friend.

Harry grimaced. "You could have done it before tonight. I suppose we can go downstairs and hope Kristy and Devanee are there. I have to open this thing, I should be downstairs already."

Ron swept the Common Room with his eyes one last time before joining Harry at the portrait hole. It was strange that Hermione was nowhere to be seen, either.

The entrance hall was packed with students too, all milling around waiting for eight o'clock, when the doors to the Great Hall would be thrown open. People meeting partners from different houses were edging through the crowd trying to find one another. At last, Harry spotted Kristy's turquoise gown and went to meet her.

"Hey! I thought you'd forgotten about me," she joked.

Harry smiled nervously. "I tried," he joked back. "With no success."

Kristy laughed, and then McGonagall called for the champions and their dates to stand by the doors, so they had to say goodbye to Ron and Devanee. Kristy kept balancing on the balls of her feet next to Harry. He snickered and she slapped his arm. He laughed.

Kristy looked away from him and her eyes landed on the pretty girl Krum had asked to the Ball. "Hey, Hermione!" she whispered.

Harry did a double take. _Hermione?_

Hermione smiled and waved at them. Harry had been about to say something, but the doors opened and the students started streaming in. The group of Slytherins, including Draco Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson, passed them without being able to formulate an insult, but Krum's fangirls gave Hermione looks of utmost loathing. Ron didn't even look at her.

The champions filed into the Great Hall after the student body, and took their places at the judge table. Throughout the meal, Harry remained dumbstruck at Hermione's new appearance.

"Does it really shock you so much?" Kristy asked him at last.

Harry looked at her and opened and closed his mouth like a goldfish. "Well I just- I mean… how?"

Kristy shook her head. "Sometimes, Harry, I wonder if Ron is rubbing off on you. Hermione has always been pretty, but I don't think that's the reason Krum asked her to the Ball."

"You don't seem surprised," Harry said suddenly. "She didn't tell any of us who she was coming with."

Kristy smirked. "Speak for Ron and yourself. Gin, Devanee and I knew."

Harry spluttered. "Why? We're her best friends, too!"

"Because you're boys?" she suggested feebly.

Harry's response was cut short by a bunch of instruments being brought to the stage. Seconds later, the Weird Sisters walked on stage to thunderous applause and picked up their respective instruments. Fleur and Roger Davies got to their feet, and the other champions followed suit. Harry stood up slowly and offered Kristy his hand.

"So, do we get this over with?"

Kristy looked over at him and felt her heart jump to her throat. "Sure."

She took his hand and let him lead her to the dance floor behind Cedric and Cho. Hermione and Krum were right behind them.

"At least there's eight of us and not just the two of us," she whispered to him when he rested a hand on her waist.

"Yeah," he whispered back, grinning.

Then slow music started and Harry followed the lead of the three other champions. They swayed and twirled for a while, and then Dumbledore stepped into the floor with Madame Maxime, and other couples followed, putting Harry and Kristy more at ease now that they weren't the only ones being watched.

When the song finally ended, they exchanged a look and hurried away from the dance floor before the new lively song began playing. Harry spotted Ron's bright head, and pulled Kristy behind him until they were sitting next to him. Devanee was scowling.

"Hey, Dev. What's wrong?" Kristy asked her.

"Gin and Neville are off dancing and this oaf doesn't want to because he's jealous of Krum," replied Devanee, glaring at her partner.

"Why would I be jealous?" Ron fired back, glaring. "I'm just angry because Hermione betrayed us all for the Durmstrang champion!"

Devanee scoffed. "So your liking 'Mione has nothing to do with this?"

"I. Don't. Like. Hermione," he growled through clenched teeth.

Kristy and Harry exchanged a look.

Devanee gave him a disbelieving look. "Of course, Ron. You know, you wouldn't be in this position if you'd thought of asking her first."

Ron sneered. "And then _you _wouldn't have a date."

The girl laughed humourlessly. "Weasley, the way the night is going I might have as well come on my own. Now if you excuse me, I'm going to look for Annelie and see if her Hufflepuff boy doesn't mind a threesome."

Ron scowled at her retreating back, and Kristy frowned down at him. "Honestly, Ron-"

"Save it, Black," he snapped.

"Hey!" snapped Harry. "Don't talk to her like that."

"Is she your girlfriend now?" Ron snapped back. "Hermione didn't cut it for you, did she?"

Harry tried to ignore the heat that climbed to his cheeks. "That was a rumour spread by Rita Skeeter, you know that! What's gotten into you?"

Ron didn't answer. Instead, he looked away in time to catch Hermione coming closer, looking flushed but happy.

"Hey, guys!" she greeted them cheerfully. "It's hot, isn't it? Viktor just went to get some drinks."

Ron gave her a withering look. "_Viktor?_" he said. "Hasn't he asked you to call him _Vicky _yet?"

Hermione looked at him in surprise. "What's up with you?" she said.

"If you don't know," said Ron scathingly, "I'm not going to tell you."

Hermione stared at him, then at Harry and Kristy, who shrugged.

"Ron, what-?"

"He's from Durmstrang!" spat Ron. "You're – you're _fraternizing with the enemy!_"

Hermione's mouth fell open. "The _enemy_! Honestly, Ron? This whole tournament's supposed to be about getting to know foreign wizards and making friends with them!"

"No it isn't!" shouted Ron. "It's about winning!"

People were starting to stare at them.

Hermione was at a loss of words. "I'm not having this conversation," she said at last, getting to her feet.

Ron snorted. "Why don't you go and find _Vicky_, he'll be wondering where you are," he said.

"_Don't call him Vicky!"_

Hermione then stormed off into the dance floor, leaving Ron staring at her back with a mixture of anger and satisfaction. Harry shifted awkwardly and Kristy sighed.

Ron turned on them. "You're still here? Why don't you go off to dance or walk, or do whatever the other couples are doing?" Harry opened his mouth to answer but Ron interrupted him. "Actually, never mind. Do whatever it is you want to do, I'm tired," he added, getting to his feet as well. "I'll see you in the morning," he grumbled, trudging out of their sight without looking back.

Harry and Kristy stared after him and then at each other.

"What in the blazes just happened?" Harry asked blankly.

Kristy shook her head slowly. "Honestly? I haven't the foggiest."

They stayed seated for a moment, wondering what was going on with all their friends lately before Harry finally spoke.

"Maybe we should take a walk?" he offered.

Kristy glanced at the dance floor. Devanee had found a partner from Beauxbatons, and Hermione had found Krum. Farther back was Ginny trying to dance with Neville, but he kept stepping on her feet. She felt a bit guilty, knowing Ginny would have liked to come with Harry.

"Kris?"

She looked back at him and shook her head a couple of times, trying to clear it. "Sorry, Harry. Yeah, let's take a walk… I'd like to see what they did to the gardens."

They stood up and bordered the dance floor –trying not to get hit by the wilder dancers- until they reached the doors and got the Great Hall. The castle's doors were thrown wide open and a cool breeze made them shiver. Nonetheless, they stepped outside.

The bushes had been decorated with fairy lights, and not too far off Harry could see a couple lounging in a gazebo. He could also hear the sound of a fountain trickling somewhere close.

"This place looks so different," Kristy said suddenly. "Wonder why they didn't make it look like this in the first place?"

Harry shrugged. Standing out here with Kristy made him nervous for some reason. Sirius' face kept on floating into his mind's eye when he turned to look at her. He felt some guilt whenever he thought he might be attracted to the redhead… what would Sirius think? Was he good enough?

Unawares of his musings, Kristy found a bench and sat down. "It's going to be a long night, isn't it?" she voiced, looking a bit tired. "Supposed to end at midnight."

Harry nodded and joined her at the bench. "We could always turn in earlier. Ron did."

Kristy smirked. "Do you really think Ron will be able to sleep tonight?"

Harry grimaced. "He seemed pretty upset, didn't he? Do you really think it's because he _likes_ Hermione?"

"Well, it _is _Ron. I can see him upset because Hermione is 'betraying' us to the enemy, but then again…"

Harry nodded. "It's just strange to think about it, I mean… I never thought about it before."

"Probably Ron hasn't either. I bet he doesn't know what's getting him so worked up," she replied easily.

Harry couldn't explain Kristy's suspicions. Maybe girls had a radar for things boys didn't detect so easily… say, your best friend passing up a potential partner? So since he didn't have a good answer for her, he limited himself to a noncommittal chuckle. If Kristy noticed this, she let it pass, and she left the subject alone.

"It'll be strange finally staying here for the holidays, don't you think? I've always wondered what it'd be like," she said after a moment.

Harry looked up from a pair of fairies circling each other next to his right foot, and up at her face. "Should be interesting, so long as Hermione doesn't make us study."

Harry had meant it as a joke, but his friend didn't laugh. "Maybe not studying, but you have to figure out that golden egg, Harry."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I still have all of January to figure that out," he said dryly. "You sound like Hermione now."

Kristy frowned. "Well, I'm sorry to be worried about you. The dragon was bad enough. I can't think of what the next two tasks will be about, but they will probably be worse. If that egg contains any information that can help you through this, I'm on Hermione's side."

Harry fought back a pout and pulled his shoe away from the fairies that were now experimentally pulling at his shoelaces. He knew she was right, but he couldn't even begin to think about what the egg's ungodly shrieks could mean.

"I'll get to it once the people leave tomorrow," he promised. Kris didn't seem to believe him, so Harry was forced to cross his heart. "I swear."

Though still not fully convinced, Kris let it go once more. They fell into companionable silence for a couple of minutes, but then she suggested they should explore the rest of the gardens. It seemed Fleur Delacour and Roger Davies had had the same idea as them and taken it to the next level, and were currently making quite a bit of noise in the nearby bushes.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

For once, Jack was glad to be going back to Ingoldstadt after winter break. For one thing, his father was back to his schemes and his Death Eaters kept him in a constant state of irritation, which translated into an escalating amount of tension in the house. Even Diego had been keeping his distance, so Jack couldn't practice Firewielding with his godfather. Then there was his father's newest acquisition. _Nagini._

Quite the possessive snake if there ever was one.

She seemed to think that she owned his father, so that Jack couldn't even step inside Tom's study for a brief chat without the accursed snake trying to bite him. To Jack's annoyance –but not to his surprise- his father was perfectly amused by this. It got so bad that he could only speak to Tom when Nagini was out hunting, and he'd resorted to magically locking his door at night in case she tried to slither in and wanted to eat him in his sleep. It didn't help his ego that she constantly referred to him as '_Mouse'_, because in her mind he didn't even make it to '_Rat category'_.

Then there had been that nasty incident when Nagini tried to eat their house elf, Nina. Now she had become their old housekeeper's shadow, living in fear that the snake would have another go at her when Tom wasn't looking (who had, ironically, rescued her). At any rate, Jack was happy to step out of the house-turned-danger zone and into the _White Dragon._

Having turned fourteen during break, he didn't feel like an oddball in his group of friends anymore. It was a cycle that started to repeat itself every April, when Kenichi would turn fifteen and from then on _everyone_ would start turning fifteen, until Jack was the only fourteen year old in the group. The jokes about his age were starting to become old, but of course, that didn't stop his friends from greeting him with the usual "Welcome back, kiddo." as soon as he stepped into their Common Room.

As school picked up speed again, something strange happened. For the first time since their reunion, Diego sent Jack an urgent owl asking him to meet in private. His godfather himself would be coming to the island and staying the night in Tarway town so they would talk without the risk of a firecall being intercepted. Jack wasn't allowed to tell anyone about it.

While the request seemed odd, Jack knew to trust his godfather, and on the last day of January he made up an excuse to his friends about needing new potion ingredients for his personal stash, and left the school. There was still snow on the grounds, and the wind was awfully cold, so he walked to Tarway as fast as he could. Diego had said that he would be waiting at Oliman's Tavern; a place often visited by the older students over the weekends to get a drink or two and meet their townie friends. Jack had yet to meet anyone his age at the town, since the children of Tarway were sent to other schools in Lemuria while he was studying in Ingoldstadt.

He greeted the guards with a nod when he passed them on the entrance to the village, and they nodded their white heads at him. They already recognized him from the times Jack and co. had visited the town. He rushed down the road with the inns and then down the shop street. Oliman's was at the other end, beyond the central square. He was glad to finally reach the door and get out of the cold.

"There you are," said a voice to his right as soon as he stepped in.

He looked around and spotted his godfather sitting by himself in a corner –the only customer that wasn't white haired. He grinned and made a beeline for the empty chair in front of the man, but Diego wouldn't let him sit. He stood up right away and beckoned Jack to follow him. Puzzled, Jack did.

"Diego, what-?"

"Not here, urchin," he replied, making his way to a partially hidden flight of stairs.

Jack frowned and silently climbed the stairs behind Diego. On the second landing there were more private booths, as opposed to the scattered tables on the main floor. There were no customers up here. Diego walked into one of the middle ones and waited for Jack to take a seat before closing the soundproof door.

Jack took in his godfather's tense shoulders and the dark expression on his face, and tensed a little himself. "What's this about?"

Diego sat down with a heavy sigh and rested his arms on the table. "You."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "Me?"

"Well, and your _birthday gift_."

Instinctively, Jack's right hand flew to the Violet Key under his shirt. "What about it?" he asked, suddenly suspicious.

Diego sighed again. "It's… something happened a week ago."

Slowly, Jack pulled his hand away from the Key and imitated Diego's position. Instead of replying, he waited for the man to talk.

Diego caught Jack's drift and scratched his ear briefly, a sign that he didn't know how to put something into words. Jack rolled his eyes. "Just come out and say it, Diego. What happened?"

"I was contacted by a Shade," he blurted out.

Jack's eyes widened. "_What?_ Which one? What did he want?"

Diego cleared his throat. "_She_. What did _she_ want," he corrected Jack. "Her name is Laverna, and she was fishing for your whereabouts. She doesn't seem to think you're dead."

Jack was struck silent. First off, he'd never heard of a Shade called Laverna; second, she'd known about Diego and how they were related, and third, she didn't think he was dead!

"But the whole world thinks I'm dead!" he cried out with some alarm. "Even Dumbledore thinks I'm dead."

"But there are people who know you're not," argued Diego. "There's obviously us, then there's Emperor Tersias, Andor, a few of your father's Death Eaters, _and the entire Ingoldstadt population_."

Jack shook his head. "Everyone in Ingoldstadt knows to stay quiet about me."

Diego scoffed. "Reuben Bloor is an Ingoldstadt graduate, and he told Snape about you last year."

"But that's Snape, and the situation was meant to be contained," argued Jack. "I know Ralph's father hates our guts, but even _he _knows not to approach a Shade."

"Well, either Laverna is exceptionally sharp or someone ratted you out. Perhaps even both," said Diego with a shrug.

Jack grimaced. "But who? A Death Eater? I don't think any of them would be stupid enough to double-cross my father."

Diego lifted an eyebrow. "And what of _being afraid enough to double-cross him_?" he asked.

Jack was silent. He didn't even want to consider the possibility of the truth being out. So far, his supposed death was what had kept him safe from the Key hunt. Speaking of which…

"They haven't found anymore Keys, have they?"

Diego considered the question and then shook his head. "No…" he said slowly. "They have three, but the Green, Blue, Indigo and obviously the Violet one are still safe. So long as they don't get their hands on a Keystone, we're relatively on the winning side."

Jack mulled over Diego's words for a moment. "They're coming after me, aren't they?" he asked softly. "They have more leads on the Violet Key than on the other three. I'm next."

Diego's face hardened, and Jack took that as a 'yes'.

"We did everything we could to protect you from the moment your father passed you the Key," related Diego. "Tom knew they were on to him already, but that didn't stop him from wearing a decoy to keep suspicion off you. When it became evident that your father's Key wasn't the real one, Andor faked your death with help from Ebur's emperor, and you were off to Ingoldstadt. This island is impenetrable unless your real name is written in blood on the Book of Names the headmistress keeps in her office."

Jack cheered up a little. "So as long as I stay inside Arx Crystallus, I'm safe?"

Diego grimaced. "The Keystones are not kept here for a reason."

Jack deflated again. "So what you're telling me is that I'm doomed? That the wards can be breached and I've got nowhere to hide?"

His godfather deviated his gaze and his shoulders sagged. "For now you're safe. But it's only a matter of time before… before they figure out a way. It's been done once before. A couple thousand years ago."

"Ingoldstadt was breached two-thousand years ago?" Jack asked with some disbelief.

Diego shot him a look. "Ingoldstadt was originally built to contain the Keystones, of course someone would try to get in!"

Jack couldn't hide his surprise. "The Keystones were all _here?_"

"Helen, the History teacher, knows the story better than I do," replied Diego evasively. "But yes, they were here. After the breach, the Keystones were taken away and hidden in separate locations. They were moved several times until their locations were lost. Recently, though, one of them emerged. I trust you remember?"

"The Red Keystone," replied Jack in wonder. "It was at Hogwarts for an entire year."

"And then Hogwarts' wards were breached," added Diego. "Dumbledore made the stupid mistake of trusting Rubeus Hagrid. He's insanely loyal, but he also loves to drink, and he can't keep his mouth shut when he does," he said bitterly. "The Keystone was moved, and I don't know what became of it."

Jack grimaced in thought. "But Diego… supposing Laverna finds me and takes the Violet Key… she and the others will go after the Red Keystone right after. Shouldn't we be protecting it?"

Diego seemed uncomfortable. "Andor is taking care of that… he's been tracking it for a couple of years now, but we haven't heard anything from him since he left you at my place three years ago. Laverna must have one of the lesser Shades tracking it too, while the rest tracks the remaining Keys… and you."

Jack ignored the part of his being tracked. "Lesser Shades? What makes Laverna so high and mighty?"

Diego seemed puzzled for a moment. "Merlin, urchin, sometimes I forget how little you know about this," he said. Jack shot him a mild glare. "Laverna… how to say this? Er, I guess you could say she's especially vicious, older than any Shade we've met –which translates into more experience- and she's sharp."

"Old?" asked Jack with a chuckle. Diego didn't join in the amusement.

"Probably born with the Roman Empire," answered Diego dryly. "You do know Shades are spirits that possess human bodies for long periods of time, don't you?"

Jack glared at his godfather's condescending tone. "Yes, Diego. I'm not _that _ignorant."

"And did you know that the host dies when they leave the body?"

Jack lost the glare. "No…"

Diego nodded knowingly. "Well they do. So make sure you're never possessed by a Shade. Learn your Occlumency, and learn it _well_. It might keep you alive one day."

"How many Shades are there now?" Jack asked quietly.

Diego closed his eyes. "Six. Laverna wrote all of their names on the letter she left me, and said they were expecting their leader soon."

Jack sagged in his seat. "So what do we do now? Diego, it's no longer a question of _'if'_ but rather of _'when'_ they will find me. And it sounds to me like the coming of their leader is related to it."

"I don't know what we're going to do, urchin," replied Diego sadly. "I've told Nyah to keep an eye on you, and to not question your leaving the school if we ever have to take you out without a warning. For the moment you're safe here. Don't answer any suspicious mail, and don't go poking around for clues on the Keystones, I know you tried in your First Year," he added sternly. "The last thing we need is your actually finding something out and Laverna catching wind of it."

Jack crossed his arms, disgruntled. "I can be careful with my findings, you know? As soon as I knew Father and Christoff were the same person I stopped asking questions. I left my investigation pending."

Diego finally laughed. "What is it with you Riddles always needing to investigate everything?"

Jack half pouted and glared again.

Diego offered him a wistful smile. "One day we'll tell you the whole story, your old man and I. But for now, just be very careful. I already lost my son… I don't want to lose my godson as well."

Jack's features softened and he sighed. "Alright. I promise I'll stay out of trouble," he muttered.

"Good," said Diego. "Any more questions?"

"Well, I was actually wondering why Father wasn't the one to come over," said Jack suddenly. "He's usually the one having to deal with me, and it's not as if the wards won't let _him_ in."

Diego snorted. "Your old man is busy in England, looking into possible traitors among the Death Eaters. I bet he's having fun."

"Wouldn't put it past him," replied Jack with a small smirk. "And why didn't you just put all of this into a letter?"

Diego shot him a look. "Don't be so dense."

Jack mockingly recoiled in his seat. "By Hades, is my father rubbing off on you or what?"

Diego laughed and Jack joined in. "Maybe we shouldn't be joking at Tom's expense," said Diego, still chuckling. "But, urchin, sending you information about Laverna and Keystones in a letter? Seriously?"

Jack huffed. "Fine, don't make me feel worse than I already do."

"Agreed. What are you supposed to be doing?"

"Buying potion's ingredients."

"Wouldn't take you long, would it?"

"Er… no. Not really."

"So what are you still doing here?"

Jack sent Diego a blank stare. "I wasn't aware our meeting would be so short."

Diego shrugged. "Not much to say aside from that. And if you don't return with a bag from the Apothecary you'll look suspicious. Buy something on your way back."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother."

"Good," Diego said again. "Now off you go. I have a terrible ship lag and I want to sleep it off."

Jack shook his head at his godfather and said goodbye. He opened the door and went down the stairs. A few customers looked up from their drinks when he emerged, but no one paid him much mind. As for Diego, he stayed in the same position –reminiscing of all the times Tom, Cineris, his now dead friends and he had spent sitting on this very table- long after Jack had left the Apothecary with a bag of belladonna and fluxweed.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

The Triwizard Tournament still made the Games section of The Oracle newspaper, but lately Jack found he had started to lose interest on what was happening to Harry Potter. Probably due to the fact that Diego sent him weekly updates –encoded- about the situation raging in Lemuria. So when it made the papers that Potter had tied for first place on the Second Task, Jack was more concerned about how Laverna and the others had inexplicably left the continent alone and pulled back to Hades knows where. He found it very unlikely that Laverna had had a change of heart and convinced her fellow Shades to stop terrorizing the wizards.

And then, while Diego sent him updates on his home, his father sent him updates on England. It seemed to Tom that no one really grasped what the showing up of Shades could mean to the wizard race. Quite frankly, Jack didn't either. But what seemed to irk Tom the most was the latent ignorance about Shades that existed in Britain.

Now, Jack knew his father had a flair for the dramatic, but maybe treating the Shades' appearance as apocalyptic was a little too much. So far all that had happened were random raids on major cities, but it wasn't as if wizard rebel groups didn't to that too. The only difference was that Shades were mainly after a set of powerful magical objects, rather than political discontent.

So February came and went, and March did as well. April saw both Kenichi and Ivy turn a year older, and Jack just felt he was living in a daze. Things were happening too fast for his liking, and May was upon them before he knew it. On the bright side, Ingoldstadt was still as secure as ever. On the downside, fourth year was coming to an end, and he would have to leave the island soon. He suddenly had a mental image of the six Shades huddled in the cold, waiting to spring on him as soon as he stepped out of the wards. Maybe _that_ was where they had disappeared to.

As a consequence to the lack of activity, Diego's letters had decreased in number. There were still developments in security going on, however. One of them had been Emperor Tersias' order that the Untouchables would patrol Ebur's streets night and day, in the hopes that if there were a surprise attack they would be able to contain the damage. Other rulers had taken similar measures, and even the elves were taking precautions. Diego constantly reminded him not to let his guard down.

In the end Jack had been left not knowing what to make out of the whole thing. He wished he could fill in his friends on the details, but he knew better than that. There was no need to get them worried about his wellbeing when so many people already were. He just wished he knew what Laverna was up to.

Unfortunately for him: nothing good, as he would soon find out.

Final exams were coming, and the school was soon full of stressed students. The fifth years were busy studying for their OWLs, which meant Manfred didn't have the time to bother him. Even so, it had been a long time since they had duelled. They still had a score to settle, but for now they avoided each other like the plague.

Halfway through the week, Diego's most unsettling letter yet arrived. As usual, it arrived with a different owl along with the rest of the school's carrier birds to avoid suspicion. When asked why he didn't just send his godfather mail with his own messenger falcon, Jack replied that he liked to keep Horus close. The school bought it, and that was all he needed.

When the letter was finally in his hands, he did as was his custom and stuffed it in his book bag so he could read it when he was alone. Ralph stared suspiciously at him for a moment, but he'd grown used to Jack's odd behaviour and didn't press him for details. After all, if something important were going on he would tell, right?

Later that day, Jack couldn't wait to rip the letter open. He hadn't had a moment to himself and curiosity was killing him. He finally got his chance when he sat down with Kenichi, Ralph, Amy and Tancred to do homework in their Common Room. He excused himself from the table, saying he needed to fetch a book to finish his Potions homework, and slipped inside the Main Common Room. Several students, both younger and older, were lounging about. No one paid him any mind, so he found an armchair by a bookcase and sat down to read his godfather's letter.

The contents were quite disturbing.

_Jack,_

_They know you are in Ingoldstadt. Their influence goes deeper than we originally thought. Your father wants you out of there as soon as possible. Meet me where the White Dragon makes port tomorrow night. Tell no one. We sail straight away to your father's place. The Headmistress is already informed and will cover for you. I'll explain the details in person; it's too dangerous to do so here._

_- Diego_

Jack frowned. _–_ _Your father wants you out of there__ -. _It wasn't like his father to pull him out of school, even in dangerous times. Usually Tom would content himself with getting rid of his son for most of the year, checking on him only occasionally. So what if the Shades knew his location? That didn't necessarily mean that they'd found a way to get in… or had they?

_Their influence goes deeper than we originally thought._

What exactly was he suggesting? That they had found someone willing to help them that could also sneak into the island? Or worse… did they have someone on the inside already? The very thought seemed preposterous. No one had shown a lot of interest in him after the novelty of having the Dark Prince as a student had worn out. And in all honesty, it wasn't as if he was profiling to be the next Dark Lord. He just didn't have his father's cold blood, and he even couldn't stomach the idea of killing someone. So what could anyone in Ingoldstadt have against him?

"Riddle? Hello?" called a girl's voice from above his head. "Think you could humour me?"

Jack finally looked up from his hands and stared innocently at the brunette in front of him. "Did you call?"

Ivy rested her hands on her hips in mock annoyance. "As a matter of fact, I did. I've been trying to get your attention for a while."

He locked gazes with her and forgot the disturbing letter for a second. "You got my attention alright…" he mumbled to himself.

Ivy frowned, confused. "What was that?"

"What was what?" he asked, feigning ignorance.

Ivy rolled her eyes. "Never mind. I was wondering if you could help me with a Dark Arts assignment, seeing as your reputation precedes you."

Jack folded Diego's letter, and sat back with a satisfied smirk on his face. "Does it, now?"

She swatted him over the head with a rolled piece of parchment she'd been carrying. "Don't get too cocky, or I'll ask Ralph for help instead."

Jack stopped rubbing the top of his head and sat up. "Ralph! No, no, no… if you have a problem with Potions, you go to Ralph. If you want to learn how to be annoying, you go to Ralph. If you have a question about Dark Arts, you _don't_ go to Ralph."

Ivy fought back a smile. "He's second in the class."

"But I'm first!" Jack insisted. "I know things not even the fifth years know!"

"Very impressive, Jack," she mollified him. "Maybe you're over-qualified for the job? After all, this is mere third year material."

Jack lifted an eyebrow. "Excuse me, do you want my help or not?"

Ivy laughed. "Yes, I'd very much like your help. Friday, after lunch? I know you have the time."

Jack's second eyebrow joined the first. "You stalker!" he cried out.

Ivy merely smirked. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Thank you, Jack. See ya!" she replied, skipping away happily.

Jack scratched the back of his neck. Odd girl, that one. He kept his eyes on her until she reached her friends Ollie and Nat, who happened to be _his_ friends' sisters. Ingoldstadt was such a tiny, tiny world.

Just then he remembered he wouldn't be around to help Ivy. By Friday he would be… wherever his father was. Diego hadn't really left him an option in his letter, and now that he thought about it he would be missing some of his finals, too. Should he tell Ivy?

He shot another glance at her. The three girls were laughing at something one of them had said. He could tell Ivy's laugh from the other two easily. Hers was the most contagious, and even from a distance it made him smile. It bothered him a bit that she would have to go to Ralph for help. He would have much preferred to be the one who helped her, but it was probably better that she didn't know… besides, Diego had said not to tell anyone, so he would just pretend that nothing strange was happening.

He skimmed the titles in the bookcase next to him with his eyes, hoping to see a Potions book that he could take with him, but there were none. He shrugged and stood up, settling for telling his friends the book he needed wasn't around.

The next morning, Jack scribbled a simple _"Fine, I'll see you there."_ for Diego on a spare piece of parchment, and sent it away with Horus. He'd forgotten to do so the night before, and while mainly pointless by now, it was still manners.

He stretched out and got ready for his last day in school. Something told him he wouldn't be coming back to finish fourth year. If he got lucky, he would be able to return for fifth year… if Nyah deemed him worthy of passing his final exams without actually having them. And if they managed to keep Laverna away, of course.

Soon after he woke up, Kenichi rolled out of his bed and mumbled a "G'mornin" in his general direction. Jack waved back his response and grudgingly picked up his clothes and his school robe. Out of habit, he examined his back once he was shirtless. The scars were finally beginning to fade. They still looked raised, but at least they'd gone from pink to white. If he was lucky, in a few more years they would be no more than light traces on his back, no more than the souvenir of a bad memory. He winced when he heard Tancred yell "Good morning!" at the top of his voice from the room above his. From the ground floor, Aura yelled at him to shut up. Jack groaned. He so hated mornings.

Breakfast wasn't any different. Ralph and Tancred got started on their usual argument over the food while Kenichi pretended not to hear them. Fortunately, Ivy chose to have breakfast with them that morning, so Jack had someone to complain to. Ivy found his annoyance amusing, though, so Jack chose to tune out his two friends and just have a normal conversation with her.

He was very self-conscious for the rest of the day. It felt odd knowing that he might not return. He hadn't really grasped the concept yet… his friends and classmates behaved like any other day, some paying attention, some slacking, Ralph and Amy being all lovey-dovey with each other whenever they got the chance… was it really his last day here? What if he didn't return for fifth year? Would he ever see his friends again? What would become of his schooling?

He shivered at the thought of his father taking over his studies. He remembered only too well what it was like to be showered with the most powerful Dark curses out there for 'educational purposes', and this time, his mother wouldn't be around to threaten his father. With any luck, he would be transferred to Durmstrang under his 'Daniel McKnight' identity. Wait, what language was he even supposed to speak there!

Kenichi finally managed to pull him from his increasingly hysterical ramblings. Jack snapped to attention and his orange-haired friend grimaced at him.

"Are you back among us mortals?" he asked testily.

Jack blinked a couple of times to clear his eyes and shook his head. "What? Yes. I- where were we?"

"Fire?" Kenichi asked tentatively.

Jack looked around at the arena as if seeing it for the first time. "Right. Fire. Practice. What was I thinking?"

Kenichi frowned at him. "Are you alright, mate?"

Jack shot him a mild glare. "Of course I'm alright. I was just… thinking."

Kenichi raised an eyebrow. "What about?"

"Not important," replied Jack evasively. "My mind drifts sometimes. What are we supposed to be doing?"

His friend shook his head in exasperation. "Fire Lashes, Jack!"

"Right, right…"

Kenichi still stared suspiciously at him for a moment, but then conjured a long stream of fire on each hand, and stood ready for attack. Jack copied him, and soon Kenichi's fire was raining down on him. Not used to defence, and distracted as he was, Jack's Lashes soon dissipated, and Kenichi's attack burned him across the chest and threw him on his back.

"Stop!" cried their teacher from across the arena, unnecessarily so, since Kenichi had extinguished his own Fire Lashes already and was staring at Jack in shock.

Mistress Akane reached Jack's side faster than anyone would have thought, but Jack was already on his feet again, grumbling how he was fine despite the large scorch mark on his chest.

Mistress Akane looked him up and down with a critical eye, and then turned on Kenichi. "Oosaki, continue to practice with Hadji. Riddle is done for today."

"_What?_" cried Jack angrily. "I'm fine! It's just a small burn."

His teacher glared at him. "It's not the burn, Riddle," she said. "You're one of the most aggressive fighters currently in the school. Today you are not even trying. Oosaki is an excellent Firewielder, but you never have a problem defeating him… and today he strikes you down with his first attack?"

Jack scowled and looked away. "I'm just distracted. I'll focus now."

Akane shook her head. "Whatever is bothering you won't leave you today. Take the rest of the day off, Riddle. I'll see you tomorrow. And get that burn checked," she added.

Jack was about to protest but a glare from his teacher silenced him. He walked out of the arena and picked up his things. He could feel the eyes of all the other Firewielding students on him, and even saw Asa Pike sneer at him out of the corner of his eye. He would have given Manfred's best friend the finger if Akane hadn't been watching him, too.

He dragged himself all the way up to his Common Room, mad at himself for letting his thoughts consume him. He didn't blame Kenichi. He should have been more alert. He scoffed. At least the rest of the school was empty; everyone was at their respective Element Wielding practices. He could use this time to pack a small satchel of stuff, and he'd visit the infirmary later. He'd send Diego to pick up the rest of his things once it was safe.

Waiting for the night to fall was excruciating. Kenichi had found him at dinner and apologized time and again for the incident at practice. Jack waved him off, and went back to stabbing his food. The worst part was when he went looking for Ivy in case he didn't see her again, but couldn't find her anywhere. He'd finally given up when several students started going to bed. He'd have to meet Diego soon.

Once in his room, pretending he was going to sleep was easy. Kenichi usually fell asleep fast, and probably wouldn't stir until morning, by which time he would be gone. His friend did confront him one last time once they were in their respective beds, but Jack insisted everything was fine.

"It's that last letter from your godfather, isn't it?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

"I know you, Jack. What did it say?"

"Nothing of importance. Just an update from home, as usual."

"Don't lie to me."

"Why would I? I've trusted you with everything else."

"I don't know. But you're not telling me something."

"Kenichi, go to sleep please. I promise I'll tell you later… I'm tired now, and my chest hurts."

A pause. "Fine. But I'll hold you to it!"

"Yes, yes. G'nite, mate."

"Night."

Then it was all just a matter of waiting.

Jack listened intently to his roommate's breathing, until it evened out and he was finally convinced that Kenichi wouldn't rise. As quietly as possible, he got out of bed, transfigured his clothes, and picked up a cloak from his trunk. He made sure he had his wand on him, shouldered his satchel and slipped out of the room.

Sneaking through the corridors was easy. There were no portraits to rat him out, and there were no prefect rounds. The hard part was crossing the bridge between the school and the forest, and then crossing the forest and the jungle until he got to shore. The bridge was the most exposed part of the journey, but by some miracle he was not seen. Maybe Nyah was making sure of it… Diego had said she would cover for him.

The forest gave him the creeps. He had only been out here at night once, and he hadn't been alone. He recalled that this was probably the way Tancred felt when he found himself alone in the forest, back in First Year. Only worse, because Tancred had been lost. Jack was merely following the path that he always took to the school after arriving in the island.

At long last he made it to the beach. He stayed close to the trees as he surveyed the large expanse of sand, looking for any signs of Diego, but the place was deserted. Maybe he was early?

A light breeze made his hair stand on end. He wrapped his cloak around him and sat down on a rock to wait. He wished Diego could hurry up… he didn't like the feeling he was starting to get. After only ten minutes –though it felt like an eternity to Jack- a white sail was finally visible through the darkness. A small pinprick of light, like a Lumos spell, was quivering in the distance. Jack lighted his own wand and trudged through the sand towards the dark figure that had gotten out of the sailboat.

Diego didn't seem to spot him at first, but then the light coming from Jack's wand must have caught his attention because his silhouette suddenly tensed, and Jack felt his godfather's eyes on him. As he got closer, he was about to raise his hand in greeting when he noticed something strange. Was Diego trembling?

The realization made him stop in his tracks. Sure the breeze was cool, but it was still a summer night. They had a fine weather. Jack felt a knot tightening in his stomach.

"Diego?" he called softly.

The man stood straighter. "Jack?" he called back. "Come on, what are you waiting for?"

Jack narrowed his eyes. Well it certainly was Diego's voice, but it was too dark and Diego's wand was pointing to the ground, so Jack couldn't make out all of his features. He took a tentative step forward, and then another, despite the alarm bells ringing in his head. He couldn't bring himself to take a third.

Diego cocked his head at him, as if asking him what was wrong.

Jack shook his head slightly and took a step back. Diego seemed confused. Jack shook his head properly now and took a more aggressive stance, lifting his wand to finally take a good look at the man's face. What he saw left him numb.

"Diego, _what-?_"

His "godfather" sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, kid," he said. He lifted his wand.

Jack's breath caught in his throat. "What? No!"

"Stupefy!"

A flash of red light, the air knocked out of his lungs, and Jack knew no more.


	33. The Seventh Shade

**A/N:** Guys, this is finally the last chapter of The Last Riddle. I AM SO HAPPY! I can't even believe I'm posting it... just the Epilogue left now. Stay tuned for the sequel, Dawn of Darkness!

**

* * *

Chapter 32 – ****The Seventh Shade**

* * *

"He has been out for too long. Is he alright?"

"Does it matter?"

"We need him awake."

"He doesn't need to be healthy to be awake."

"But he has to be healthy to survive the process."

"Oh, look at him. Aren't they cute at this age?"

The sudden change of subject pulled Jack out of his stupor. _What?_

"I beg your pardon?"

"Let me tell you something. If a wizard's magic were developed enough at this age, they would make good hosts. They would last at least ten more years than their adult counterparts."

"But they are so weak at this age! The mid twenties are better."

"Your strange fixation with younger humans disturbs me."

"We'll see if you still think the same way when you have to find another host before we do, Gunnar."

"Silence! I think he's awake…"

The voices stopped talking and Jack felt a shift in the atmosphere around him. His head hurt, he was feeling nauseous, but he didn't move. A woman chuckled.

"Don't bother, wizard, we know you're conscious."

Jack stilled his breathing. For a moment all he could feel was his heart beating frantically against his ribcage, and then, a frigid hand caressed his chin and he jumped a mile in the air. He tried to propel himself away from the hand but his back found a wall of solid rock, and he had to make do with pressing himself against it.

The woman crouching in front of him smiled cynically. "Did you sleep well?"

Jack merely stared at her, trying to place her face but being unable to do so. _'Where am I? How did I end up here?'_ There wasn't much light, but he could make out the shapes of five men and women behind her. There wouldn't be anything special about them, if not for their eyes. They had an inhuman glow about them that sent shivers down his spine. The woman in front of him had amber eyes, like Kenichi's, but they reminded him of a cat staring at a defenceless mouse. Her skin was pale, her hair as dark as his, and the mischievous smirk on her lips couldn't bode well.

"I asked you a question, wizard," she pressed him.

He still didn't reply. His pride kept his tongue tied, even though it was probably a bad idea to defy her like this. He steadied his breathing and narrowed his eyes. The woman _laughed_.

"You are so amusing," she commented amiably, looking him up and down. "So much like your parents. I expect you to have inherited many traits and… _trinkets_ from them, am I right?"

Jack stared suspiciously at her darkening tone. "What are you suggesting?"

"He speaks!" said the brown haired woman in the back. One of the men turned on her.

"Yes, he does, Agrona. Wizards usually do," he told her sarcastically.

Agrona scowled. "You have no sense of humour whatsoever, Angra."

The woman in front of him turned her head around to glare at them and both fell silent. "I am trying to have a conversation here?"

"Carry on, Laverna," replied the last woman coldly, this one with silvery blond hair like a Malfoy's. "Pay them no mind."

Jack's eyes widened. _This was Laverna!_

"Thank you, Morana," Laverna said tightly, before turning her head to stare at him. She wasn't smiling anymore. "You know what _trinket_ I speak of. If you want to spare yourself some grief, I suggest you hand it over right _now_."

Jack narrowed his eyes again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Laverna stared into his eyes long and hard. Jack fought the need to blink and stared back. "If that is the game you want to play," she told him slowly, "then so be it."

She stood up abruptly and joined her fellow Shades. Jack followed her with his eyes, and met the gazes of the other Shades when they looked at him in curiosity. Laverna wouldn't spare him another glance. She marched to a door Jack hadn't noticed before because the other Shades had been standing in the way, and waited until her accomplices were outside before speaking again.

"Wormtail! Lock the door behind us."

"Yes, mistress…"

Jack's heart skipped a beat. _Wormtail!_ So there _had_ been a traitor!

He stared in disbelief at the silhouette of the man as he pushed the door closed. His cry of "Traitor!" reverberated in the absolute darkness. Wormtail had already locked the door.

He scowled in the darkness and tried to make out any shape, but there wasn't even the smallest crack of light anywhere. He cursed and conjured a small ball of fire on his left hand. The small room lit up and Jack looked around in confusion. Where was he? The room was all made of stone and it smelled humid; across from him was a large… crate? It was like an adult-sized stone box, and Jack slowly stood up to examine it. His head throbbed but he ignored it. He was surprised to find out that the wall he thought he was pressing himself against turned out to be an identical stone box.

It came up to his waist, so Jack could clearly see a faded engraving on the top.

_Vivian Scottsen 1868-1945_

He jumped back and the flame on his palm almost went out. A grave? He walked backwards toward the door and increased the size of the flame in his hand to see the entire room properly. The stone boxes were two stone _graves_. Now he could see where the lids could be pushed back to access the inside. On the back of the room was a large locked trapdoor that surely led to the family crypt. He was locked inside a mausoleum.

The realization left him a little numb. Finding himself trapped with the dead wasn't exactly the first thing in his mind when he first realized he'd walked into a trap.

_Wormtail. _He couldn't believe it. Well, actually… he could. The man had betrayed his friends out of fear when his father had risen to power. Now that a stronger opponent was rising, he was doing it again. He hadn't recognized the rat when his "godfather's" face first started to grotesquely transform, due to the Polyjuice potion's effects coming to an end. That also explained why "Diego" had been trembling, and why he hadn't referred to Jack as 'Urchin' in his letter. He dearly hoped Diego was okay.

For now, his most pressing problem was that Laverna had really, truly found him. He'd expected a lot worse, to be honest, but she seemed… almost civil. She hadn't attacked him like Macnair, and though she had threatened him –as expected- she didn't show the same contempt Nott had shown him. On the contrary, she seemed curious, at least until they touched the subject of his _trinket_.

Jack touched the small bump under his shirt that was the Violet Key. They couldn't take it from him. His father had made sure of that, and he was not about to give it up. They couldn't kill him either. The protection spell on the Key wouldn't allow anyone but his father near his body, so what were they planning to do?

He closed his eyes and leaned on the door to think of a way out of this mess, when he felt something hard digging into his ribs. He searched his robe's pockets and almost gave a cry of happiness when he found his wand. He didn't know why it hadn't been taken away, but he wasn't about to complain. However… his wand had been in his hand when he blacked out, so what was it doing in his pocket? A mistake maybe?

He shrugged it off as good luck and turned to the door. There had to be a way to open it, but after a few hours of trying and wracking his brain for more solutions he couldn't get it to budge. He wished he knew what time it was, but he didn't have a watch. He slid down the wall all the way to the floor, and stared into space. He was exhausted, and he was starving. Now that the adrenaline had left him he could truly appreciate his situation. He wouldn't have been brought here if Laverna hadn't figured out a way to get the Key from him. He was going to die.

He didn't know how long he brooded on his impending doom before he fell asleep, but the next thing he knew he was being kicked awake and daylight was streaming on his face. He lashed out in the direction the kick had come from but his fist only made contact with air. For a moment, he was back in the labour camp and Damien was yelling at the overseer for the rude awakening, but his situation came rushing back to him when an invisible force held him down.

Jack looked around frantically trying to spot his attacker, but the two men –Shades?- didn't try to hide. They stood over him, apparently oblivious to his struggles.

"Do not hold him down so hard, Gunnar, I need to move his arm," said the younger of the two. He had catlike black eyes and his head was completely shaved. He looked Egyptian.

The other, brown haired and just as dark eyed, looked at his companion with some distaste. "Just get the job done, Angra."

Angra scowled and knelt next to him. He pulled Jack's arm to him, and Jack tried to pull back, but Angra twitched his fingers absentmindedly and Jack lost all control over his arm. He watched in horrified silence as the Shade made his arm move like a puppet without strings; Angra pulled back the sleeve of his robe and calmly examined the inside of Jack's bare arm before drawing three vials and a long knife from his robes.

Jack gasped.

At last, Angra looked at him and then at his paralysed arm, and smirked. "It is called Bloodwielding. I am told your mother could also do it when she reached Waterwielding Master level-"

"Angra, don't speak to the wizard," snapped Gunnar.

Jack shot Angra a questioning look, but Angra had gone back to scowling at Gunnar. "I speak to whoever I want to. Concentrate on holding him down and not on me."

Jack hoped that Angra would tell him more about his mother, but despite his annoyance with Gunnar he went back to work in silence. He uncorked the three vials, and then held his knife. He traced the length of Jack's forearm with the tip and stopped just below the elbow. Jack's heartbeat started speeding up. _'Oh crap, oh Hades, what is he going to do?'_

He braced himself for the worst but didn't even wince when all Angra did was a simple, though long, cut. He breathed out in relief, but then a lot blood started flowing from the wound. _Fast._ However, before a single drop could land on the floor, Angra guided the ribbon of blood to the first vial and kept it flowing until it filled to the brim. He did the same with the other two and Jack watched the process in morbid fascination. _What the…?_

When he was finished, Angra left his arm suspended in the air and let the blood trickle down while he corked the three vials, and then put them back inside his robe. He then went for the knife and whispered an incantation that lit the blade on fire. Jack had never been terrified and fascinated at the same time, but there's a first time for everything in life, isn't there?

In the end, Angra put out the fire. Next, he pressed the edge of the hot blade to the wound in Jack's arm… cauterizing it, true… but Jack let out a piercing scream that made Gunnar frown at him. Angra laughed and took back the blade. He examined his handiwork and apparently deemed it good enough because he stood up and put the knife away.

"You should thank me, wizard. You will not bleed to death now," he said mockingly.

Jack glared at him. "You can use magic! You didn't _have _to do that!"

"But where is the fun in that?" Gunnar asked him.

Both Shades laughed and Angra let Jack have control over his arm again. Jack assumed the question had been rhetorical and limited himself to pulling his arm towards his body.

"Gunnar, check with our contact in Hogwarts if the Cup is in place for tonight," drawled Angra, starting to leave the mausoleum. "I need Potter's blood now."

Jack almost forgot the pain in his arm. _Potter?_

"Fachtna already checked. It is," replied Gunnar testily. "You are completely obsessed with this."

"I am not obsessed. I understand the significance of tonight, which is different."

"Play with your words, Angra. It does not make a-"

The door shut behind them, cutting Jack off from the conversation in its entirety. He found he could move again.

'_What the hell is going on!'_

* * *

Harry was angry.

His leg was very painful, he was aching all over from trying to throw off a giant spider, and after all his efforts, Cedric had beaten him to the Cup, just as he'd beaten Harry to ask Cho to the ball. He had wanted to walk out of the maze holding it high, hear the roar of the crowd, see his father's face beaming with pride, Cho's face shining with admiration, Kristy relieved to see him back in one piece…

"The one who reaches the Cup first gets the points, Cedric. That's you," Harry told him bitterly. "You win."

Cedric took a few paces away from the Cup. "No."

"Stop being noble," said Harry irritably. "Just take it, then we can get out of here."

"No," repeated Cedric. "We helped each other out all through the Tournament, but you still did more than me. You deserve to win."

Harry took a deep breath and prayed for patience. "Both of us."

"What?"

"We'll take it at the same time. It'll be a Hogwarts victory."

Cedric stared at Harry. "You-you sure?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "Yeah… we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."

For a moment, Cedric looked as though he couldn't believe his ears; then his face split in a grin.

"You're on," he said. "Come here."

He grabbed Harry's arm below the shoulder and helped him limp toward the cup. When they reached it, they both held a hand out over one of the cup's gleaming handles.

"On three, right?" said Harry. "One – two – three!"

He and Cedric both grasped a handle.

Instantly, Harry felt a jerk somewhere behind his navel. His feet had left the ground. He could not unclench the hand holding the Triwizard Cup; it was pulling him onward in a howl of wind and swirling colour, Cedric at his side.

Then he felt his feet slam into the ground; his injured leg gave way, and he fell forward; his hand let go of the Triwizard Cup at last. He raised his head.

"Where are we?" asked Cedric, after he had helped Harry to his feet. "Was this supposed to be part of the task?"

"I don't know," answered Harry absentmindedly. He pulled out his wand and looked around him warily, just in case something jumped on them. Cedric copied him.

"Harry, look!" cried Cedric suddenly, pointing into the dark.

Harry squinted in the darkness and soon saw an unusual shape silhouetted against the faint moonlight. It looked like someone with wings embracing a smaller person.

He and Cedric slowly and warily got closer to the shape and they saw that, in fact, the unusual shape was the statue of an angel holding a boy in his arms. The boy seemed to be unconscious; he was leaning forward limply in the angel's embrace.

"We have to get him out of there," said Cedric suddenly, squinting at the boy. He ran forward and Harry hissed.

"No, Cedric! Wait!" he called after the older boy. "It could be a trap!"

Cedric ignored him. He reached the boy as Harry kept glancing around frantically, trying to pinpoint their location but nothing seemed familiar. They were standing in a dark and overgrown graveyard; the black outline of a small mausoleum was visible beyond a large yew tree to their right. A hill rose above them to their left. Harry could just make out the outline of a fine old house on the hillside. He walked to Cedric and the unconscious boy, noticing more details the closer he got.

He had black hair and smooth ivory skin. His head was hanging limply over the statue's arms and his hands were pinned behind his back. There was a red bruise on his right cheekbone that looked recent. The statue holding him in place was an Angel of Death. The boy was wearing midnight blue robes, which identified him as a wizard, but he wasn't anyone Harry could recognize from Hogwarts. Cedric was trying to wake him up by shaking his shoulder and face, but had no success. He sighed and pointed his wand at the boy.

"_Ennervate."_

Harry stopped looking around for a moment and turned around to see the unconscious boy stir. He grimaced and opened his eyes blearily.

"Where am I?" were the first words that came from his mouth.

"We don't know," replied Cedric, taking a look around. "A graveyard."

The boy's blue eyes snapped into focus and he gave Cedric an intense look.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "What do you want?"

Cedric put his hands up in a 'we-come-in-peace' gesture and gave a step back for good measure. "My name is Cedric, and this is Harry. We are both Triwizard Champions. We were almost at the end of the third task, but when we held the Cup it turned out to be a Portkey and it brought us here. We don't know why."

"We're as lost as you are," added Harry, scrutinizing the boy and mentally thanking Cedric for not saying his surname. "Who are you? And how are you here?"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "You're Harry Potter," he stated coolly.

Harry narrowed his eyes in return. "That wasn't the question," he replied. Something was off about this boy, but he couldn't pinpoint what.

"Oi, we have to help each other here," placated Cedric, giving the younger boys stern looks.

"My name's Daniel," the strange boy said after a moment, his tone softer than before. "Now get me out of here before they come back."

"_They_?" asked Cedric, as the Hufflepuff began looking for a way to pull Daniel out of his stone prison. "Who are _they_?"

Harry frowned and looked around nervously. "And what do you mean by 'before they come back'?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "The people who put me here. There's no time to explain who they are," he snapped impatiently. "I don't know how long it's been since they left. One moment I was in school, and the next I was attacked. When I came around, I was locked up in a mausoleum. I've been a prisoner for two days now, and until tonight did they bring me here. When you woke me up I thought it was them. Now hurry up! If we don't get out now, we'll never get out of here at all."

"What do you mean?" asked Harry, eyeing the other boy while Cedric muttered incantations on the statue.

"I mean they'll kill all three of us," hissed Daniel.

Cedric laughed nervously and paused in his spell casting. "Kill us?"

Daniel gave Cedric a slightly haunted look. "They wanted you here, so they found a way to bring you. How and why else would you be here? Whatever they're going to do, it'll happen tonight."

Under other circumstances Harry would have thought Daniel was being dramatic, but enough had happened to him over the years not to give the other boy the benefit of the doubt. "How are you doing with the bonds, Cedric?" he asked the Hufflepuff, without taking his eyes off Daniel.

Cedric let out a strangled sounding sigh. "I can't work them out. It's really advanced magic… perhaps Professor Flitwick would-"

"But Professor Flitwick is not here," said a fourth voice.

The three boys looked up and stared at the man that had shown up out of nowhere. He was casually leaning on a tall tombstone and staring haughtily at them.

Daniel stared back. "Fachtna?"

The man offered a slightly maniacal grin. "You are learning our names! Shame you will not live past today."

As if on cue, Harry and Cedric pointed their wands at the newcomer.

Fachtna rolled his eyes at them. "Wizards…" he muttered.

Harry watched as the stranger raised his hand. With a gesture, he sent both their wands flying into the dark graveyard. Harry heard Daniel sigh in resignation.

"You have to learn how useless you are against us," Fachtna drawled. "Wizards… even less dangerous than Muggles without your wands. You put so much effort into your magic, that wandless… you are like sitting ducks."

Harry glared at the stranger, trying not to panic. Sadly, the stranger was right; how was he supposed to defend himself _now_?

Unfortunately, Cedric still went ahead trying to confront him. "Listen, you-"

"Cedric, no!" Harry yelled at him, glancing between the Hufflepuff and the stranger.

Fachtna extended his hand and pointed at Cedric. "Never speak out of turn, wizard. _Xandain,_" he whispered.

At first Cedric looked confused, but then he clutched his chest and fell to his knees moaning in agony. Harry ran to his side to help him.

"Cedric! Cedric, look at me!" he cried desperately. But Cedric seemed blinded by pain, eyes open but unfocused. His breathing was getting faster, and before Harry could think of anything to do to help him, two pairs of arms lifted him off the ground and away from Cedric. He cursed and kicked and fought, but his new attackers held fast, and before he knew it, he was stuck in a stone statue next to Daniel in a similar fashion.

Jack stared at the scene helplessly from his stone prison. Cedric was still gasping on the floor, Potter still fought against Angra and Gunnar, and Fachtna surveyed the scene with a slight smirk. Of course the other two wouldn't have stood a chance, what had he been thinking? That they could have broken him out? It sounded ridiculous now. He took a deep breath and looked up at the night sky. There had to be a way to get out of this; he'd sent a letter to the actual Diego… maybe both he and his father were looking for him at this very moment? If they were, would they find him in time?

He winced at Potter's protests and yells next to him. He was calling out to his friend, and trying to free himself at the same time. It'd be futile. Jack looked down at Cedric, expecting to see him writhing on the ground, but the older boy was perfectly still. Jack drew in a short breath. Cedric was already dead.

"Cedric! Cedric!"

Jack spared Potter a glance. His cries would be useless; he was just amusing the Shades.

"He cannot hear you, you know?" said Fachtna. "He is far gone now."

Potter glared fiercely at him. "What did you do to him?" he spat.

Gunnar laughed. "Can't you see he is dead?"

"Can we get tonight over with?" Angra interrupted them testily. "Deimos will not be happy if something goes wrong."

Fachtna waved a hand at him. "Do what you have to do."

Without another word, Angra got to work. He pulled out three vials from his robes and the same long knife from earlier that day. Like before, Jack couldn't take his eyes off the Shade, call it morbid fascination. Potter looked extremely confused. His world had been turned upside down and now nothing made sense. Hell, it hardly made any sense to Jack, and he knew more about their situation.

Angra manoeuvred Potter's arm out of his prison the same way he had done with Jack that morning. Potter was so shocked that his arm appeared to be moving on its own, that he had finally stopped calling out to his dead friend. When Angra pulled down Potter's sleeve and held his knife to his arm, Potter paled and Jack could only imagine what was going through his head. When Angra finally made the cut on his forearm, Potter let out a short cry and then the Shade drew out the blood from his arm like he had done before with Jack.

Jack grimaced and could only look on for a moment before focusing on something else. It looked much worse from this perspective. Sooner than he expected, Angra was setting the knife on fire, and soon after Potter cried out in pain. The scream got his attention, and he turned in time to see the fresh burn on Potter's arm, identical to his own, before Angra tucked the arm back inside Potter's stone prison.

"Are you happy now?" Gunnar asked him.

Angra merely scowled and corked his vials. Try as he might, Jack couldn't figure out why on earth they would need their blood. It all seemed so… unreal.

"Wizard," called Fachtna from his spot leaning on a tall tombstone. Since Potter was too busy figuring out what was going on, Jack was the only one to look up. "Do you know where you are standing right now?"

Jack's answer was to narrow his eyes.

Fachtna laughed icily.

"That is your grandfather's tomb," said Angra distractedly, for he was now comparing vials. "Your father's father, to be precise."

Jack's face blanched. He suddenly felt very dizzy. He had never thought about Tom Riddle senior as his actual grandfather… until now, standing on his grave.

"Strange feeling, isn't it?" continued Angra conversationally. "Standing over a dead body."

Jack looked down briefly and shuddered involuntarily. He had always felt an aversion to standing on graves and now he couldn't step away from one. The fact that he was standing over a dead relative didn't help his situation.

Meanwhile, Harry had finally cleared his mind enough to start sorting out his situation. He'd fallen into a trap, some stranger capable of using wandless magic had killed Cedric, and then another one had filled three vials with his blood. Then there was the matter of Daniel. Where had he seen the boy's face before? He tried to catch a clearer view of the name on the grave… Fachtna had said it was the boy's grandfather. He squinted as he heard the strangers tease the boy beside him and then he saw it…

_TOM RIDDLE_

His mind made a summersault. "_Tom Riddle? _Voldemort's _Tom Riddle?" _he muttered to this boy could only be… Merlin above…

"Well done, Potter," snapped Riddle, eyeing Harry with distaste. He knew he had finally put two and two together. "I'd give you a medal, but my hands are tied. Literally."

Harry looked at Jack Riddle in shock from head to toe, from his black and white sneakers to the tips of his jet-black hair. "I _knew _you were alive!" he cried out.

Riddle merely rolled his eyes.

"Charming conclusion," congratulated a female voice out of their range of vision. "Too bad the fellow on the ground is too dead to celebrate with us."

Harry tried to turn around to see the newcomer, but he shouldn't have bothered. Three women soon joined the three men that had initially assaulted them. Riddle had adopted a scowl, but Harry knew that like any other Slytherin, Riddle was just trying to hide how terrified he actually was.

Jack, on his part, could say that he was not terrified but he was still very nervous about what could come next. Laverna seemed excited about something; her cheeks were flushed and she had her bright amber eyes directed at them.

"Well, since tonight there have been some family reunions," began Laverna, glancing pointedly at both Jack and Harry who in turn looked back at her, "I think you should be reintroduced to someone you once considered family as well, Jack. Wormtail!" she called, her voice ringing in the silence.

There was some movement to their left; Jack fixed his eyes on the approaching rat and scowled. The little man was making his way towards Laverna with his head bowed. He tried to concentrate on the sheer loathing he felt for the man so he didn't have to concentrate on figuring out whom Laverna was teasing him with. What did she mean by 'someone you once considered family'?

"Yes, Mistress?"

"Wormtail?" whispered Harry in disbelief. "But he's dead!"

"He never was," Jack whispered back, as to not to attract the attention of the Shades. "He hid in the sewers as soon as my father fell. Oddly enough he had a lot of information to give us when I met him some months ago. Apparently he found a way to hide among the Weasleys, and we both know who the Weasleys are good friends with," he added with a teasing smirk.

Harry's eyes widened, but Jack didn't give him the time to say anything. "He betrayed you years ago. Now, he's turned on us as well," he growled, fixing a glare on the man. "It's because of him that I'm here. I should have never believed that letter!"

Since he said the last part a bit louder than he intended, he drew Laverna's attention to himself. She smirked knowingly at him and her golden eyes flashed. "Bring our most important guest to us, Wormtail. And make sure to bring the proper dosage of blood for him, as well."

Wormtail bowed deeply. "Of course, Mistress."

Harry and Jack went as far as exchanging a glance at the strange request, before they both went back to glaring at the man's back as he left.

It didn't take him long to return, now with a figure levitating behind him. They couldn't really make out who it was in the darkness, and on top of everything the head seemed to be covered by a bag.

Jack could feel his curiosity and nerves mix, not to mention his fear. He couldn't really think of many people he would consider family, which scared him further. Could it possibly be Audrey Cineris? Or Sarah Briggs? Both girls had been like sisters to him at different times, but he hadn't seen either of them in years… however, as Wormtail came even closer he managed to see the figure behind him wasn't even female.

So who then? Tanner, Diego's son, had died when he was young. It couldn't be any of his friends from Ingoldstadt, could it? They were well protected by the wards around the island, and they didn't really fit the 'once considered family' description. Vincent Van der Rohe, his self-proclaimed brother in arms, was dead as well. So that only left…

Wormtail was already standing before Laverna again. He lowered the body behind him to the floor and sat him up with a flick of his wand. Laverna gave Wormtail a satisfied smirk and stepped forward to caress the bag on the young man's head. Now Jack could see how heavily manacled he was. He was probably unconscious, too.

"And the blood?" called Angra from behind Laverna.

Wormtail bowed his head briefly to Laverna and produced a rather large vial filled with rich red liquid from his robes.

"Here you are, Master," pronounced Wormtail, handing over the liquid to Angra. "It should be enough to give him back some strength after… the ritual, sir."

Angra took the vial and nodded. "Very well, Wormtail. Stand down for a moment."

As Wormtail bowed yet again and stepped out of the way, the other four Shades came forward to inspect the vial with some curiosity, but Laverna still remained by her prisoner's side, her left hand resting on his head.

"Have you figured out who our guest is tonight, dear?" she asked Jack sweetly.

Jack remained silent, limiting his response to a simple glare. However, Harry could see that Riddle had balled his hands into fists. He was probably scared out of his mind for whoever was the person under the bag.

Laverna laughed quietly and tilted her head to the side. "No answer?" she teased him. "Let me give you a few clues. A half-breed, presumed dead, your old cellmate. Who is our mystery character, my dear Dark Prince? Can you guess?"

Jack squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head. He spoke so softly that Harry, who was right beside him, barely caught his answer.

"_It's Damien_…"

"I beg your pardon?" called Gunnar. "Who again?"

"It's Damien!" Riddle snarled, looking up again and glaring at the group of Shades. "How did you know about him?"

Agrona shrugged indifferently. "Half-vampires are rare, and even rarer are those stupid enough to be caught by slave traders. We know he worked in a mine… _your_ mine, to be exact. It was not too difficult to link him to you from there. Charming history you two have… almost like brothers."

Laverna looked skyward. "Agrona, please refrain," she said disdainfully. She looked down again and removed the bag from the vampire's head, which fell limply over his chest.

Jack's breath caught in his throat. Damien looked just like he remembered him… sallow skin, sunken eyes due to lack of food –blood, in his case- rich black hair that fell in waves around his ears, and a very, very thin body. He also looked like a young man in his mid-twenties, even if he was really almost a hundred years old. He couldn't believe it… after all these years, the cellmate that had once cared for him like family when he had no one was _alive_.

Jack took his eyes from Damien and looked up at Laverna. "What do you want with him?" he snarled at her.

Laverna frowned at his tone. "You will find out soon enough," she replied slowly. "The rumours said you were not very patient."

"What rumours?" he cried out. He was angry now.

Laverna ignored him and turned her attention to Damien. She stroked his hair and then whispered something that Jack didn't catch. Damien sucked in a deep breath, and then started coughing violently.

"Hello, Carabi," greeted Laverna pleasantly. "You awake in time for the show."

Damien took his time gathering his wits. "Carabi?" he asked softly, confused.

Laverna lifted an eyebrow. "Yes. Carabi. Your surname."

Harry turned his head to exchange a look with Riddle, but the Dark Prince had his eyes fixed on Damien. He wasn't even going to try and make sense of Riddle's relationship with a half-vampire he apparently met at a mine. Harry didn't even know half-vampires were possible. He would have to ask Hermione about it if he ever made it out of here.

Damien slowly came around. He studied his surroundings with some detachment, until his eyes finally found Riddle. The pair stared at each other for a few seconds before Damien lashed out at Laverna.

"What are you doing with him?" he yelled at her.

Angra rolled his eyes. "What is it with creatures in this realm and speaking out of turn? _Thrysta_," he said, pointing a finger in Damien's direction.

Damien fell forward, gasping for air. Jack remembered this curse. It had crushed his chest a few years before. By Damien's reaction to it, it could do as much damage to a half-vampire's stronger skeleton.

Angra released him and Damien coughed. "Let him go!" he insisted, his voice hoarse.

Angra lifted an eyebrow and raised his hand. "What did you say? Your voice is a bit hoarse," he said with mock politeness; the threat could be heard just below the surface.

Damien scowled. "I said-"

"Damien, shut up!" Jack yelled at him. "You'll make it worse!"

Damien stared imploringly at him. "But-"

"Stuff it!"

Laverna chuckled. "I see nothing has changed between you," she commented. "Perfect!"

Jack glared, but chose to remain silent. He didn't need Angra to administer another of his 'out-of-turn' punishments.

"Now," continued Laverna, stepping away from Damien. "Let us carry on, yes? We have a tight schedule to follow."

Harry looked at the woman and frowned. This was easily the strangest night of his life; he had been captured by a bunch of powerful strangers that had taken almost a litre of his blood, and then proceeded to ignore his existence. That, along with his injured leg, was making him light-headed. He wasn't sure he wanted to know why he had been kidnapped along with the supposedly dead Dark Prince.

Speaking of which…

Jack struggled uselessly against his bonds as he watched Laverna advance on him carrying a smirk. Beside him, Harry looked confused and kept looking at Jack to then turn to the approaching Laverna. Behind her were the rest of the Shades, Cedric, and Damien.

"Allow me, dear," said the woman, and reached out to grab a thin chain around Jack's neck.

Jack looked quizzically at her, trying to comprehend what she was doing. And then it happened.

Laverna closed her eyes and started chanting a spell, making Jack feel a little weak. Then the Key began to emit a faint violet glow that was visible through the cracks of Laverna's fist.

As the chant grew louder and faster, and Jack grew weaker and weaker, Laverna started pulling on the chain and Jack gasped, more in surprise than in pain, when the chain split his flesh and continued to make its way across his neck.

"No!" cried Damien from the ground, stretching his neck to get a clearer view of Jack and Laverna, earning a kick in the stomach from Gunnar.

Laverna's voice grew deeper, and she increased the strength with which she was pulling on the chain when she arrived at the bone.

Jack gasped and bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from crying out in pain. He felt a drop of blood roll down his back and concentrated on trying to will away the pain that increased with every passing second.

"Laverna stop it!" gasped Damien. "You are going to kill him!"

Angra rolled his eyes.

"Just be careful, Laverna," advised Morana, as Jack's bitten cheek began to bleed. "If he dies before you can take the Key from him, the spell on it will not let anyone go near his body, let alone the Key."

Jack barely heard the other Shade speak. Whatever curse Laverna was using to cancel the effects of the protective spell on the Key, so she could literally pull it through his neck, was slowly making him fall unconscious. Laverna was practically beheading him –with a chain, no less- but he could also feel the wound healing in its wake… just like the gashes he once got writing with a Blood-Quill.

Harry felt his jaw drop when the woman started to pull the silver chain through the Dark Prince's neck as if it were made of butter. What in the name of Merlin was she doing? Couldn't she just pull the chain over Riddle's head? And why did she want the necklace to begin with?

After some more moments of tension, Laverna broke off the chant and gave the chain one last, forceful tug, releasing it from Riddle's neck. All Riddle could do was cough and wheeze while he tried to pin down the woman with a glare. However, Laverna was too busy admiring the violet gem that hung from the chain to notice. The gem's glow had decreased, but it was still strong enough to bathe Laverna's and Riddle's faces with violet light.

"It's beautiful," she whispered, transfixed. "So much power… and such a small thing…"

Riddle then finally seemed to notice that the woman was holding his necklace in her hand, and his face fell. "_No… _how did you-?" he whispered hoarsely, horrified.

Laverna snapped out of her trance and offered him a cocky smile. "The spell would not allow us to take the chain off you, but never mentioned anything about taking it through you. Thank you for this, dear. We have been searching for it for too long."

Riddle struggled to find a response. "I didn't know that was even possible!"

Laverna shot him a pointed look. "The things you don't know, child, could fill the largest library on the planet."

If the situation wasn't so serious, Harry would have laughed at the taunt.

Riddle coughed some more. "It's still useless!" he said finally. "You don't have the Keystone!"

Laverna's smile dropped a fraction. "We shall see about that," she replied testily. After that, she turned her back on him and walked toward her fellow Shades. She threw the necklace at Fachtna and looked serious again. "Keep it safe," she ordered him. Then she looked down at Damien, who hadn't stopped glaring at her. "As for you," she told him, "here is where you come in."

Damien seemed confused again. "What do you want with me?"

Laverna smiled knowingly. "Deimos needs a powerful host. A half-vampire should please him… close to a full vampire's speed, strength and resistance, plus a human's ability to do magic. Sunlight might be a problem for you, but that is not something Deimos cannot fix with a good spell," she explained slowly, savouring the effect her words were having on him. "And you know," she said conspiratorially, bending down to his level, "once a Shade goes _in… _you die when they go _out_."

Harry took his eyes from the scene to look at Riddle. He looked like he wanted to scream, but lacked the strength to do so. His eyes were fixed on Laverna and his friend; even Harry knew something bad was coming, and neither of them would have the power to do anything about it.

Without warning, Angra used the same Bloodwielding technique from before to control Damien's body and change his position from sitting to kneeling. Then Gunnar held him in place. The other four Shades convened around a nervous Damien in a circle, and Laverna did something Jack didn't expect. She conjured a ring of fire like he had done many times before, and laid it on the ground between Damien and her fellow Shades. Five pulled out an object from their robes… an orb, a book, a compass, incense, an ornate dagger, and Laverna lifted her arms over her head and began to whisper.

"What are they doing?" asked Potter in a whisper.

Jack was so transfixed he didn't really hear the question. "She's a Firewielder," he said breathlessly. He was shaking his head slowly. He had to save Damien, somehow… maybe if he made enough noise he could distract them and Damien could make a dash for freedom. But wouldn't Damien then try to save him?

Harry frowned, confused. "She's a what?"

Jack looked at Harry as if he were a weird flobberworm specimen. "What do they teach you in that school of yours, Potter?"

Harry was about to retort, but he thought better of it. "Listen, we have to get out of here. Now, while they're distracted. We can take Wormtail."

Jack lifted a disbelieving eyebrow. "_We?_"

Harry scowled. "Unless you're suggesting you can get out of here on your own?"

Jack scowled back. "No chance, Potter. I'm not leaving Damien here. Besides, what kind of idiot are you?" he whispered. "We can't break free of these statues," he snapped, trying to wriggle out of his stone prison to prove a point. "If I were an Earthwielder things would be different, but I'm not! Besides, what are we supposed to do once we're free?"

Harry frowned. There was that wielder thing again. "I think I know where my wand and Cedric's fell. If we move fast, maybe we can-"

"Crucio!"

Harry let out a scream as the curse hit him; hundreds of knives pierced every inch of his flesh. His head was spinning, his leg and the fresh burn on his arm throbbing. Riddle was yelling something or other at Merlin knew whom.

Then, as suddenly as it came, the pain stopped. He heard Wormtail cursing and moving about frantically somewhere beside them. Then he uttered a spell and sighed in relief. Harry frowned and glanced at Riddle, who looked back at him and winked.

Before Harry could ask him what he had done –because he was certain Riddle had done something to Pettigrew- the small man himself was stomping into their line of vision until they came face to face with each other. His left sleeve was burned off and his arm sported angry red welts all over it.

Wormtail was panting. "You- _crucio!_"

Now Jack screamed. Harry cursed. "Leave him alone! Do you think those guys over there will be happy if you hurt their prisoner without their permission?"

He'd taken a stab in the dark; for all he knew, laredna –or whatever her name was- wouldn't care. But apparently she did, because Wormtail blanched and lifted the curse.

Jack fell limply on the angel's arms and took a couple of breaths. "Is that all you have?" he taunted the man. "No wonder the other Death Eaters think so little of you. That was pathetic."

Harry could have hit him.

"_What is happening here?_" rang Laverna's voice through the graveyard.

The three looked up. Laverna was marching straight up to them, and Wormtail jumped straight into his defence.

"They were plotting, mistress!" he screeched, pointing at both boys. "They were going to try to escape!"

Laverna stared blankly at him. "And how were they going to do that?"

Wormtail faltered. Jack shot him a smug look.

Laverna tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?"

"I- he-," spluttered Wormtail, desperately searching for something to say. "He kicked fire at me!" he said finally, pointing at Jack. "He can do wandless magic!"

Laverna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "That is _not _wandless magic. He is a Firewielder, that is what Firewielders _do!_" she snapped, firing a ball of blue fire at his feet to prove her point.

Wormtail jumped back to avoid being burned again, and bowed. "Forgive me, mistress!"

Jack and Harry exchanged a glance.

The woman looked disgusted. "If you want a go at them, Wormtail, wait until we are gone. Right now you are distracting us. Do you not want revenge for Voldemort's treatment of you? Do you not want revenge for how little James Potter thought of you?"

Wormtail puffed out his chest. "Yes," he said with surprising clarity.

Laverna nodded. "Then stop messing around, and let us finish!"

Wormtail shrank back, and Jack saw his opportunity to distract Laverna further.

"I'm sure there were better hosts than Damien out there!" he called at her retreating back.

Laverna stopped in her tracks. "I know what you are trying to do, wizard. It will not work. Your friend does not have the strength to escape."

"Exactly!" replied Jack, thinking on his feet. "What kind of host are you offering your leader, if he can't even make an escape?"

The Shade turned her head slightly. "Damien may not be as strong or resistant as a full vampire, but he has an added bonus," she told him softly. "If you by a sheer miracle escape tonight, ask yourself this question: If in the future you ever come face to face with Deimos, will you do what you know has to be done and kill him, knowing that you will be murdering your beloved Damien as well?"

Jack's mouth went dry, and he wasn't able to say anything else while Laverna returned to her spot in the circle. He caught a glimpse of Damien, but his friend was unconscious again. Laverna lifted her arms again and this time she spoke louder.

"_Ego advoco quod sive te, O phasmatis Deimos, per confuto phasmatis vestri amicitia quisnam es notus per nomen Laverna, Angra, Gunnar, Fachtna, Morana, quod Agrona, pareo pro mihi huic somes efficio vestri mos."_

Harry's brain was going into overdrive with ideas of how to escape. So they were going to be left alone with Wormtail when this was over? He knew that would be their only chance, even if it meant that Damien would be beyond help… if only they could break free, and Riddle was collected enough to do that trick with the fire again…

He looked over at the Dark Prince. Once again he had his eyes fixed on their captors –now repeating Laverna's incantation over and over- maybe thinking of the many impossible ways he could save his friend. Getting his attention again would be impossible, but he would have to, because working with him was probably the only way out of this mess.

All of a sudden, the Shades went dead quiet and a ringing silence took over the graveyard. Harry looked around uneasily. At first, nothing happened. Then, a grey mist rose from the ground and hung in the air at waist level. A cold breeze unsettled his hair and robes, and then Damien sucked in a short breath. Riddle gasped.

Damien struggled in Gunnar's strong grasp. He had his eyes closed, but by his face Harry could tell that whatever was happening to him was terrifying. Damien suddenly snarled, and screwed his eyes shut. He shook his head from side to side rather violently, like he was trying to shake off an animal that refused to let go of his hair. Riddle was getting uneasy next to him, kicking the ground and shifting around.

Damien convulsed once. Twice. Harry looked away. It was like something out of his worst nightmares… he heard the chains rattle, and Damien screaming once or twice, almost as if he were fighting something. After some more struggling, he finally fell silent. Harry looked up again. The Shades stepped away from Damien. Jack drew in a short breath, fearing the worst. But then, Damien moved. He struggled to his feet and then stabilized himself.

"Uncuff me, Laverna," he said softly, his eyes still closed.

Jack frowned at his tone. It was the same voice he knew, but still… something was different. He couldn't put his finger on it, but this –he didn't want to admit it. He wouldn't. Laverna had her back to him but he could feel the smile in her voice.

"Deimos…" she purred, placing her hands on the manacles around Damien's wrists. Something clicked and the chains fell to the ground. "Welcome back."

Damien –or Deimos- put his hand on her shoulder and tenderly, almost lovingly, caressed her cheek with his thumb. "And this time… for good."

The other Shades convened around him to greet him. Damien had finally opened his eyes and was looking around the graveyard with curiosity.

"Why do I feel so weak?" he asked suddenly.

Angra snapped his fingers. "Blood!" he said. "You need blood. The half-vampire was also half-starved. No other way to keep him contained," he explained, handing over the large vial Wormtail had brought with him earlier.

Damien took it a little too eagerly and uncorked it, drinking almost all of it in one go. A second swig emptied the vial. He threw it aside and it vanished before it hit the ground.

"I will be needing more of that," he commented, drawing some chuckles from the Shades. He lifted his gaze and it fell directly on Jack and Harry, watching everything in silence. "What have we here?" he asked, stepping closer to them.

Jack looked back at him. "Damien?" he said uncertainly, locking gazes with him and trying to find a trace of his old friend in those dark eyes, but only a stranger looked back at him. Damien was gone.

'_Damien_' chuckled. "Damien is not here," he said politely. "I suggest you stop looking for him, boy," he added. Without taking his eyes off Jack, he continued. "Laverna, why are these two still alive?"

Jack and Harry exchanged another look and then stared down at Wormtail. Laverna came to stand next to Dam-_Deimos_.

"They are not really important anymore," she answered him. "We have what we needed from them. Now they are merely payment for Wormtail's services," she explained. "Crouch should have a part too, he was very helpful… but the poor dear still thinks he is working for Voldemort. Bringing him here would have complicated things; it will be best for everyone if he just dies."

Deimos looked at her and smiled slowly. "You were not going to make things so easy for Wormtail here, were you?" he said, glancing at the cowering wizard before turning on Jack and Harry again. "It will be a lot more entertaining if they are _free_."

He waved his hand and both wizards fell forward, not expecting to be released. Deimos laughed coldly and stepped away from them. Laverna smirked and joined him.

"Come, Deimos," she told him. "You have to recover your host's health."

Deimos smirked. "That I do."

Jack lifted himself slightly off the ground just in time to see them turn on their heels and dissipate into thin air. One by one, the other five followed, not once looking back. Then, all was still.

"Riddle, behind you!"

Jack looked back at Potter's warning, and rolled out of the way of a curse just in time.

"What the-?"

"Move!" yelled Potter, jumping to his feet and attempting to pull him up, but he almost hit the ground again when his injured leg gave way.

Jack cursed and stood up. "Here," he said, pulling one of Potter's arms over his shoulders, and shooting a stream of fire at Wormtail to buy some time. He spotted a large headstone, and steered Potter toward it. However, Wormtail recovered before they made it that far, so Jack had to jump to avoid another curse. Potter's weight made him lose his balance and both toppled to the floor. Harry gave a short yell when his injured leg twisted.

Jack cursed again. Repeatedly.

"Potter, you're going to have to run," he whispered urgently, peeking over the headstone to keep an eye on Pettigrew. "Can you figure out where your wand is?"

Potter crouched as best he could and nodded. "Yes, I think so. But Wormtail-"

"I'll worry about Wormtail," cut Jack. "I can distract him long enough. You just _get to that wand_."

Harry sighed. He had only a few seconds to decide whether to agree to a temporary truce with his nemesis, or face Wormtail alone and unarmed. As he looked at the other boy, he remembered the news of his death in first year and how he, Ron, Kristy and Hermione suspected him of being alive. He noticed how well Riddle was taking the fact that Damien was now Deimos… though that might be the adrenaline. He heard someone approach and fixed his green eyes on Riddle's blue ones.

"Deal."

Jack nodded. "On my mark," he said, looking around the gravestone again. "One… two… _go!_"

Harry surged forward, injured leg and all. Just when he thought Wormtail would attack, Riddle jumped out from behind the gravestone and lashed at the traitor with a long tendril of fire. He had no idea why Riddle could do that, but he wasn't about to question his luck.

He ran almost blindly to the spot where he thought the wands were and called "_Lumos!_" but the tip of his wand didn't light up. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he realized the wand must have gone farther still.

Meanwhile, Jack was surprised at how well Wormtail was holding up. He'd burned him two more times, but Wormtail was stubborn. Probably the quality that made him a Gryffindor. Where the hell was Potter? He looked around the graveyard trying to spot him, and that was all Pettigrew needed.

"Bombarda!"

Jack was done playing with fire. He reached for his wand and cried 'Protego!' in time to ward off the worst of the explosion, but he was sure he broke a bone or two when he slammed into a granite headstone. This must have been the same spell that killed the 13 Muggles all those years ago.

He flopped to the ground, stunned. Everything was spinning. He searched out Wormtail with his eyes, and finally spotted him a few paces off, facing the other way.

"Crucio!"

Potter's screams rang through the graveyard again. Jack rested his forehead on the ground. Could he let Potter die?

"Crucio!"

Jack groaned softly and slowly opened his eyes. His head weighted like lead and his vision was cloudy. He could not feel his arms or legs, never mind the rest of his body. He had gotten one hell of a blow. Moving was too painful. His ears were ringing. Breathing normally was hard. Potter was still screaming his lungs out.

At right that moment, something in him snapped. All he knew was that he didn't want the traitor to hurt the other boy anymore. That he had just lost a friend without being able to savour having him back. That the Violet Key was gone, into the wrong hands. That during the last two days everything had gone wrong. Wormtail had had a hand in all of that, luring him out of school, bringing Damien to them, and possibly letting Laverna know that he wasn't dead. This was all his fault, and he was going to make him pay. So conjuring strength from some unknown place in himself, he pushed himself off the ground and with one flick of his wrist his wand flew into his right hand. As if in slow motion, he pointed his wand at the man's head and cried out the deadliest that came to his muddled mind.

"_AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

The curse hit its mark dead on. Wormtail fell forward and Potter's scream died down instantly. A ringing silence took over the graveyard again.

Harry sat up slowly, staring at Peter's face, frozen in surprise. _How…_? He looked up and spotted the Dark Prince not too far away. He was standing frozen in shock, a wand in his outstretched arm. Cedric's body was lying a few paces off, undisturbed.

Riddle must have noticed he was being watched because he lowered his wand and then his face. Harry reached out for his wand and Cedric's, that he'd managed to see but not reach, and then struggled to his feet. He limped around Wormtail's body, past Cedric, past Tom Riddle's grave, and came to stand almost next to Riddle. The Dark Prince didn't stir.

Harry looked back across the graveyard at Pettigrew's body. It had been so sudden. He had been so ridden with pain that he hadn't noticed he was dead until he sat up. He took a shaky breath.

"Had you ever…?" he asked softly, not daring to say 'killed'.

Riddle shook his head slowly, as if he were in a trance. "No," he whispered.

"You could have stunned him."

"Didn't cross my mind."

"Ah."

They settled into an oddly comfortable silence. Riddle finally looked up and stared down at his first victim. His eyes were glazed over, his face inexpressive. His shiny black wand was still in his hand.

"Why didn't you tell me you had a wand?"

"Someone could have heard," Jack replied automatically.

"Why did you save me?"

"You were my only ally."

A pause.

"Er… thank you."

"Whatever."

Harry stared at Riddle when he changed his tone. It appeared the shock of killing a man was wearing off.

Jack's shoulders slumped as the adrenaline left his body. He could feel the pain again. He groaned and finally broke out of his trance. _Hades... w__hat had he done!_

He surveyed the scene in silence and put away his wand. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Potter raise his over their heads.

"Lumos!"

A small halo of light circled them. Jack scoffed at it, and conjured a ball of fire that cast a much larger halo. Potter stared.

"How do you do that?"

Jack frowned at him, annoyed. "Ask your precious headmaster."

Harry glared. "Back to our old nasty selves, are we?"

Jack scowled. "Out of danger, aren't we?"

Harry rolled his eyes. All Slytherins were the same. "I saved your arse more than once tonight."

"And I did the same for you," retorted Jack. "More times than you saved mine, actually. If you weren't such a baby-"

"Then I owe you!" cut Harry, not wanting to argue about this. His nerves were fried. "Satisfied?"

Jack sniffed arrogantly. "Will have to do," he drawled.

"Eurgh," groaned Harry, setting his eyes on Cedric's body. He would have to take him back.

Jack leaned on the granite gravestone from earlier. "You have to get out of here," he said.

Harry looked at him. "What about you?"

Jack shrugged and then winced when the movement hurt him. "Anywhere is better than Hogwarts and Albus Dumbledore. I'll manage."

Harry grimaced. "Dumbledore-"

"Will give me a second chance, he'll understand," stated Jack from memory. "I've heard that before. Thanks, but I'll pass."

Harry huffed. Dark Wizards! "Suit yourself," he replied, taking a step away from Jack and closer to Cedric.

Jack snorted. "No hard feelings I hope, Potter?"

"No. But don't expect me to keep your survival a secret just because I owe you my life!" Harry called back, almost by Cedric's side now.

Jack laughed. "How naïve do you think I am? I never expected you to!"

Harry shook his head at his Dark counterpart and almost smiled. Maybe in another life… or if things had been different… they could have been friends. He wrapped a hand around Cedric's cold wrist. His heart fell when he remembered how Cedric had insisted that he should win. He should have listened. This wasn't fair. Who were those people? What was so important that tonight had to happen?

He turned around to see if Jack was up to answering a couple more questions, but he was gone. Harry frowned. That bastard.

He pointed his wand in the Cup's direction and called "Accio, Cup!" It flew into the air and soared toward him. Harry caught it by the handle and felt the jerk behind his navel that meant the Portkey had worked –it was speeding him away in a whirlwind of wind and colour, and Cedric along with him…. They were going back.


	34. Epilogue

**A/N:** At last we've reached the end :) I'd love to list everyone who reviewed, favved and put this story on their alerts but there's too many of you, and by this point I've made you wait enough xD I want to thank you all for sticking with me for so long, and bearing with the long waits... you were what kept me going! So enjoy this, and I'll see you in the sequel! :D

**

* * *

Epilogue –** **Untouchable**

* * *

The corridors in the palace were empty. The footsteps of two wizards were the only sound that sent an echo across the white halls as they walked to the Emperor's personal meeting room, underground. Anyone hardly ever walked these corridors for the sole reason that they were in the heart of the palace, surrounded by massive labyrinths, curses and traps. Only those who had been there before knew the way and had access. The older of the two wizards had been down this particular corridor countless times, and so led his young counterpart on his first journey across.

"I let them take it…" the young one said faintly, with a vacant expression in his eyes. "She said this weird chant and pulled it through my neck… she took it… and I just let them."

The older wizard gave him a look. "Yes, because I'm sure you could have taken on all seven Shades on your own," he said sarcastically.

As soon as the young wizard had managed to send an owl with his location –Riddle Manor, of all places- his father had travelled to England to pick him up after two days of frantic searching. He had not been ready for the news of the stolen Violet Key, or the 'birth' of Deimos, or his minion's treason and murder. _At his son's own hands_. They had set out immediately to Ebur; he still had to deal with the boy for murdering such an important link to their enemies, such an amateur mistake! The boy would pay, but first he had to speak to the Emperor. Not because the Key had been stolen, no… the Emperor was not even aware of the Key's existence.

The boy gave his father a sour look. "I could have fought for it," was the curt reply.

"And lost," insisted the father to his son. "They would have killed you, and you are no use to anyone if you're dead."

They needed Emperor Tersias' silence because now eight people knew the Dark Prince was alive…. By now, what remained of the Order of the Phoenix would know of Jack Riddle's survival. Now, Jack would be hunted down by wizards and Shades alike.

Jack hissed. "Why are you trying to convince me that I couldn't have done anything about it? Why aren't you even a bit angry with me?"

"Because it is the truth," growled Tom. "No one can fight seven Shades. It is suicide; even I wouldn't try it. That I am seeing reason does not mean I think nothing of you losing the Key. We have to get it back now, somehow, before they find the Violet Keystone and unlock it."

The boy frowned slightly and looked away from his father. "And if they find it? What would happen, then?"

Tom stopped and ran a hand through his hair. "Wish I knew…. Whatever is on their minds I cannot guess, but nothing good can come out of it. We have to stay alert now more than ever."

"They knew I was alive," mumbled Jack. "For a good while now, they've known I was alive. We let our guards down."

The Dark Lord resumed his walking and scoffed. "Let our guards down? If you had spared Wormtail we would know a lot more of what they know," he growled, shooting a glare at his son, who winced. "I don't know what went through your head when you decided to use the Killing Curse, but I cannot think of a worse course of action. On top of everything, the life debt Tersias' father owed me expired when Laverna first heard you were alive."

Jack's eyes widened. "It did?"

Tom lifted an eyebrow at him. "The deal was that they kept you a secret because Hakan owed me his life. Now that you are not a secret anymore, and war is inevitable, Tersias has to choose between alliances. He cannot afford to keep your whereabouts a secret from some of his allies without facing retaliation."

Jack frowned. "You've lost me. What alliances? What are you talking about?"

"You do remember your lady friend… _Black_, was it?" Tom taunted him.

"_Black? _Are you out of your mind? I haven't seen her in ages," argued Jack with a scowl. "What does she have to do with anything?"

"Do you know who she is?" continued Tom in the same tone. Jack didn't bite. Tom smirked. "She's royalty. She's cousins with the heir to Fatura's throne, a country whose alliance Tersias has worked hard to keep. And she's _Harry Potter's_ best friend, who is _Dumbledore's_ protégée. You can guess their reactions if they ever find out that Tersias has been keeping his mouth shut about us."

Jack opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it again. _Kristen was part of a royal family? _"You're afraid he'll spill?"

"Oh yes," Tom replied bitterly. "Where we live, what school you attend, our connections, and our second identities. We would have to start all over again."

Jack grimaced. Well, what a mess. "And what do we do about it?"

Tom scoffed. "If it were up to me I'd threaten him to keep his mouth shut, kidnap his son, something like that… but I've found those plans tend to backfire. Cutting a deal should last longer."

Jack thought it better not to comment about his father's idea of everyday coercion methods.

Tom sighed heavily as they came within sight of a pair of grand steel doors. He could feel a headache starting. What a mess.

Jack looked up at him. "Of what kind of deal are we talking about?"

His father shook his head. "Whatever it is, the price will be steep for us. We will have to offer something so grand, that Tersias cannot resist it despite the consequences he will have to face if he is ever found out by Fatura's queen."

"What do you have in mind?" Jack asked cautiously, fearing they might not have something worthy enough to offer.

Tom sighed and rubbed his temples. "Nothing yet."

Jack stared at his father worriedly as Tom turned back to the steel doors and pulled out his wand. He drew a symbol on the left door and then a different one on the right one, causing a series of clicks to echo across the empty hallway. The boy looked around wildly to check for any intruders the racket might attract.

Tom laughed. "What are you doing?"

Jack blinked at him in confusion. "Just on the look-out…"

The Dark Lord laughed at his heir again. "Don't be so paranoid just because you've lost the Violet Key. No one comes down here except for the Emperor and the Untouchables in office."

Jack glared at his father. "Must you know everything? You have no idea of how annoying it gets… and what's an Untouchable, anyway?"

"Patience is not your virtue, is it?" asked Tom dryly, though with a sadistic smirk.

The massive steel doors then opened inwards, cutting short Jack's huff of indignation. They seemed to drag their weight for ages, until they finally came to a stop with a heavy groan. Inside was an antechamber, completely bare except for the flickering torches on the walls.

Tom stepped through first and led Jack to a smaller set of doors across the chamber. Through the doors they could hear the sound of two men arguing on the other side, without being able to make out what was being said. They stopped abruptly, as if they'd heard them step into the antechamber.

Jack was about to say something but Tom motioned at him to remain silent. Jack bit his tongue and looked away. They waited in silence for a moment and then one of the doors swung open. A grizzled man stepped out and looked at them both up and down with his light blue eyes. They looked out of place in such a severe looking face sporting a neat salt and pepper beard.

Jack had never met the Emperor, but he knew this couldn't be him, because the Eburian royal family had white hair. This must be the man Tersias was arguing with.

"Christoff," the stranger greeted Tom with a slight nod.

Jack was shocked to see his father nod back. His father didn't nod to _anyone_.

"Garvan," replied Tom, almost tiredly. The corners of the man's lips twitched, as if he was trying to hold back his laughter. He gave Jack a last curious glance and then walked away.

Jack stared after him, confused. "Father, who was-?"

"Not now," replied Tom tightly. "We are expected."

He stepped forward confidently and Jack followed. Inside was a meeting room. The large oval table could easily sit thirty people; maps with blinking dots hung on the walls like tapestries, and three overhead chandeliers bathed the room with light. There were no other doors. At the head of the table sat a white haired man wearing wine red robes.

"Tersias," his father greeted, not impolitely. Jack noticed the lack of a nod. Peculiar, how he would bow to that stranger and not an Emperor.

The white haired emperor tilted his head. "Voldemort," he greeted cheerfully. "In what uncomfortable and painful position will you put me into this time? Your message sounded urgent."

Tom smirked. "I like your optimism, Tersias. Makes my life easier."

Tersias chuckled. "Take a seat. You both look like hell."

Jack gladly sank into one of the surprisingly comfortable armchairs. He was exhausted. He could feel his father's disapproving glare, but at the moment he couldn't care less about his manners.

Tersias rubbed his hands and sighed. "So. What is this about?"

Tom exhaled a short breath and got down to business. "As you would have found out sooner or later, our deal expired," he explained. "The Shades know my son is alive. By now, Dumbledore knows too."

The emperor's face showed surprise for a split second. Then it hardened. "And if I know you, you are after a second deal."

Tom smirked slightly. "You read my mind."

Tersias stared curiously at Jack. Jack stared back. Tersias frowned. "What is it you want?"

"Your silence," replied Tom, looking at the exchange between his son and the emperor. "Without the life debt holding you back, you would have given us away the moment your father died. I want to make sure that will not change despite what happened a few hours ago," he added, drawing a cautious glance from the emperor. "Two days ago, the boy ran into the Shades and survived by a miracle. He says Deimos has found a host that fits him."

Tersias snapped his attention back on the Dark Lord. "Deimos?"

Tom nodded. Tersias tapped his chin with his fingers.

"So war is finally coming," he muttered. "And we're not ready to face it."

Tom rolled his eyes. "We knew it was coming."

"But not so soon!" snapped Tersias. "The raids started three years ago. Dealing with raids is one thing, but a full-scale war? Lead by _seven _Shades? Three years are not enough to raise an army powerful enough to face them. The country will need powerful allies. Allies like Fatura. Close ties to _Albus Dumbledore_," he added, looking pointedly at Tom. "If they find out that I'm striking deals with you-"

"_You will lose their alliance_, yes I _know_," Tom snapped back, annoyed. "So you better hope that in times of war they are able to overlook your past dealings; for the sake of the 'greater good' they _so_ love to quote."

Tersias didn't look happy. He took a deep, calming breath, and closed his eyes. "You want my silence? You better have something damn good to offer. Preferably something that can help in the war effort."

Tom sighed heavily. "Name your price."

Tersias opened his eyes, surprised. "You're desperate, huh?"

The Dark Lord remained stoic. Jack looked at his father and then at Tersias. He felt grossly out of place in the conversation.

The emperor's eyes travelled between the two Dark wizards. He seemed to be thinking hard. "During the last war," he said finally, "you played an important role, Voldemort, or so my father used to say-"

"I'm not fighting for you, Tersias," cut Tom suddenly, his eyes flickering red as he did so. "My participation in the last war was merely circumstantial. I would not have done it if I had had a choice."

Tersias raised an eyebrow. "Garvan is getting older. The Untouchables need a new, fresher leader. You know the ropes. Garvan himself thought you could handle the job."

Tom grimaced. "I'm not interested. Besides, I have other… commitments."

"I thought you wanted my silence?" said Tersias conversationally.

"We do," piped in Jack, before his father could say something else. With the look the Dark Lord was giving him, he knew he was going to pay later. "Isn't there something else you want?"

Tersias shifted his attention to him, and suddenly his eyes widened, almost as if he had just seen Jack for the first time. "There might be something else…" he conceded. He leaned forward and intertwined his fingers. "You see, I will eventually need able fighters. The very best. Fortunately, there are young people out there with powerful bloodlines sitting in their pockets. Young people like you."

Jack's heart skipped a beat. Did Tersias just ask him to fight for him?

"Absolutely not!" snapped Tom, his eyes turning red.

"Hear me out," said Tersias calmly, not at all unfazed by the Dark Lord's outburst. "Your boy is still too young to join in any kind of fighting. And while I expect him to be learning a lot of skills in Ingoldstadt, there is only so much a school can teach him. I will try to deal with the war the best way I can, but if it ever becomes necessary, I want to be able to call on him. I want him to train under Garvan, and become an Untouchable."

Tom laughed humourlessly. "Tersias, are you trying to replicate me?"

Tersias grimaced. "I know who the boy's mother was. I know who _her_ ancestors were," he said grimly. "I'm not trying to replicate you, Voldemort. I'm trying to top you," he said at last.

Tom scowled. "You're out of your mind."

"I have a country to protect," retorted Tersias. "I want the very best allies to do so. Why don't you ask the boy what he thinks about it? He seems old enough to be able to make choices by himself."

Both men looked at Jack, and Jack felt his mouth go dry. Dear Hades, why did he have to open his mouth? "You said… 'if it ever becomes necessary'. What do you mean by that?"

Tersias smiled. "It means that if things turn out right, I will have no need of your services at all. I might never bother you," he added. "It's a gamble. Take it, and whether I need you or not, you will have my silence."

Jack considered his words for a moment before consulting his father with his eyes. The Dark Lord didn't seem happy at all… but if they didn't take Tersias' offer, they would lose everything they had, and Dumbledore would be a step closer to them.

"What would I have to do?" he asked cautiously. "_If _I were to agree."

"Just answer the call," answered Tersias, stroking his chin. "You would come here to this very room, where we will be waiting for you. You would be trained in all sorts of arts and fighting skills, and in a few years you would join the ranks of Untouchables: our elite intelligence group. Are you up to it?"

Jack lowered his eyes and frowned. It didn't sound too bad… and if he learned to fight like one of these elite people, wouldn't that actually be an advantage for him? Maybe he could avoid making mistakes like the one he had made last night, maybe he wouldn't be so helpless if he ran into a Shade again, and maybe… he could get the Violet Key back. With all those possibilities, why was it that his father was so against it?

He shot a look at the man. He seemed determined to stare at anything that wasn't Jack or Tersias. He knew he was outnumbered. And he knew it would be their only chance.

Jack took a deep breath and looked into the Emperor's eyes.

"I am."


End file.
